Evan's Choice
by emmettroselover
Summary: Sequel to Consequences VII: When a wolf imprints, there is bound to be drama. When a wolf imprints on a vampire that is a friend's ex-girlfriend, that drama is bound to complicate everything. Part of The Choice Series. Rosalie/Emmett, Edward/Bella, Carlisle/Esme, Alice/Jasper, Renesmee/Nahuel, Jacob/Leah, the wolf packs, and more!
1. Chapter 1

AN: Happy Holidays! It has been a crazy year and it is bittersweet to see it go. Thank you to everyone that is still following along and sending me messages. I always read and appreciate them. It is great to get your responses to new characters and storylines being introduced, plus hearing what you hope to see in the future. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Summers in the Pacific Northwest were full of clouds, rain, and the occasional shimmering of sunny days. By the end of July, the temperatures were warmer, but rain and fog still rolled in and out of the region. Esme found herself pacing, which was very unlike her, as she tried to patiently wait for Alice to return to the Cullen House on the outskirts of Forks. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes to calm her nerves. She allowed her senses to take over and could hear raindrops plopping onto the roof and leaves in the surrounding forest. Soon, she heard the familiar pitter patter of feet racing at vampire speed toward the house and smiled at the sound of Alice's hum. Her daughter happily entered the house and darted into the study to greet her mother with a knowing smile and a hug.

"It has been a while since I have seen you this nervous. You are almost as nervous about their date as Evan is," teased Alice.

"Have you been able to see them? I hope tonight goes well."

"Evan is becoming more predictable to me when he is with Callista, but I still have issues when he is around the entire pack. Maybe if I spend more time with them, I will be able to overcome that pesky issue. Eleazar believes that I need to be patient and my power will adapt to them. He says I shouldn't press the issue. It is like he doesn't know me at all!" Esme giggled and Alice handed her a plastic, black card. Esme kissed her cheek in thanks.

"I should get this to Evan before he leaves for the date."

"I thought they weren't calling it a date. Callista seems insistent on just being friends."

"It has all the makings of a proper date and Evan is certainly courting her. Besides, it has been weeks now. She must feel the mate bond already."

"Look at you, playing matchmaker and meddling to make sure it works out. I have never been as proud as I am in this moment," squealed Alice as she hugged Esme.

"I better go. Do you know when Carlisle will…."

"He is helping out at the hospital and will be there until Dr. Hoffman comes in at eight tonight. Zach, Allie, Rosalie, and Emmett are in La Push with Josh, Natalie, Jacob, and Leah. Seth and Kaya went to a music festival in Seattle. Renesmee and Nahuel went to an art and book fair in Olympia. Edward and Bella are enjoying some time alone in their cottage on the island and Jasper and I are about to go on a hunt. In other words, everyone is safe and sound, so please stop worrying."

"I am a mother…"

"You will never stop worrying," finished Alice.

"Exactly, now if you will excuse me, I am going to check on Evan before his date. See you soon," called Esme as she exited the study. Alice waited until Esme was gone before pulling out her phone and dialing a number. She sighed as Eleazar picked up.

"We need to talk about the pack and before you say it, I know you aren't an expert on shapeshifters, but I need help sifting through some visions I am getting," informed Alice as she began to nervously pace back and forth.

Evan groaned as he tried to get his wavy hair to cooperate. Embry chuckled at his son and continued to watch him from the doorway of Evan's bedroom. Evan tugged at the tie he was wearing and Embry looked at him curiously.

"Aren't you a bit overdressed for a movie? The black tie and vest are nice, but a bit formal." Evan growled in frustration and yanked off the tie.

"Dad, it is an important non-date. I need to look good! Okay, maybe the tie is too much…or maybe it is just enough….I don't know and the person I could ask isn't even supposed to know I am going on a non-date because it is with his ex-girlfriend!"

"Oh, I get it now. This is about Josh," said Embry as he walked over to his son and fixed the collar of his white dress shirt. Evan shrugged.

"She liked Josh and I am nothing like him. He wears designer clothes and knows the difference between Gucci and Armani. All I know about this stuff is that I wore it to a school dance."

"Can I make a suggestion," asked Embry as he sat down on the bed.

"I have no clue what I am doing, so why not," grumbled Evan. He plopped down on the bed by his father and placed his face in his hands.

"How about this, just be yourself?"

"Really, that's the best you got," exclaimed Evan.

"It worked for me and your mother. Plus, you have the added assurance of imprinting."

"How did mom deal when she found out about the whole imprinting thing and you being a wolf? She must have freaked out."

"It took her some time to deal with, but we figured it out. I waited until I was confident that she completely accepted me as me before telling her about my supernatural side. You are lucky to not have to deal with that issue though."

"Yea, I dodged a bullet with that one. Drew is still having trouble telling Lexi. He is terrified that he will scare her off like he did Allie."

"But Allie was never his imprint and Lexi is. Your situation is different though. Have you and Callista talked about telling Josh?"

"This isn't about Josh, dad."

"Really because you just mentioned his relationship with her so…."

"I will deal with Josh later. This isn't about how he feels about Callista. It is about how Callista feels about me."

"I just want you to be careful. Being so secretive isn't going to help in the long run. You are one of the most honest people I know and I never want that to change."

"I am going to tell everyone, but they aren't as important as Callista. I want to know how she feels about me before I go shouting it to the world. We are still just hanging out and she says she wants to be friends. I respect that, I just wish she felt more for me."

"Well, you can only hide this for so long from the pack. You will have to phase soon and when you do, they will know. If you refuse to phase, they will figure it out too."

"I know, dad. I just need some time to be me with Callista instead of a member of a pack or Josh's friend. For once, this is only about me and how I feel about the woman I love."

"You love her?"

"Like you said, she is my imprint, of course I do."

"I understand that. I just want you to be careful and sure of what you are doing. From the stories I have heard about her…."

"Her past is no one else's business. Josh can play the victim all he wants, but there are two sides to every story," growled Evan and Embry put his hands up in surrender.

"I meant no disrespect toward your imprint. I am just concerned as your father." Evan looked down at his balled up fists and sighed as he unclenched them.

"Sorry, I know you are," conceded Evan and Embry patted him on the back.

"You are protective of her. She is definitely your imprint. The anger is part of being a wolf as well though, so be careful because that can be a dangerous combination. Sounds like Esme is here," said Embry as he walked over to the window. Esme pulled into the driveway and Evan beamed with happiness.

"I should go," said Evan as he hopped up, but Embry stopped him before he could run out the door.

"You should change into something that you actually like. Stop trying to be Josh and just focus on being you," recommended Embry as he sifted through Evan's closet. He tossed a black, plaid shirt to his son and Evan chuckled.

"Fine, I will change," agreed Evan and Embry shook his head with a smile as Evan quickly stripped out of the outfit he was wearing. He hopped on one leg around the room, much to the amusement of his father, until he was dressed in a casual pair of jeans and his buttoned up shirt.

"Wish me luck," called Evan as he ran out of the house.

"Have fun," called Embry. Evan waved happily at Esme as he jogged over to her.

"Your heart is racing. You are nervous," said Esme and Evan smiled sheepishly.

"Is it that easy to detect? I don't want Callista to know that I am nervous."

"You have no reason to be nervous. You two will have a lot of fun and you have spent every day together since you first met. Tonight will be wonderful. Here, this is for you. The last thing you should have to worry about is money. Courting has changed immensely since Carlisle and I fell in love, but women are always fond of chivalry. Make sure she doesn't pay for a thing," advised Esme as she held out the black card, but Evan shook his head.

"You don't have to give me money. I brought some for tonight."

"Please, take it, for me. You should go see a movie in Victoria. Take the ferry there from Port Angeles. The rain has stopped and Alice says it will be the perfect, starry night and you will not have to worry about any run-ins with the others either."

"Won't it feel more like a date if I do all of that? Our hangouts have been pretty casual, walking through Seattle, going for swims, talking all night….."

"Doesn't it already feel like one," teased Esme as Evan blushed.

"Yea, I just don't want to assume anything. I have never had a serious girlfriend, so it is like going from zero to a million. I feel so much for her all at once and I am not even sure if she wants to be my girlfriend. She keeps talking about us being friends. Esme, I am terrified of being in the friend zone for eternity."

"That isn't going to happen. I was there when you two first saw each other. I know love when I see it. She is not simply interested in friendship."

"But how do I even make the first move? I am not like Josh or even charming like Zach or cool like Drew. I don't have moves."

"You don't need moves. Callista is a woman with experience and will be able to sense if you are trying to be something you are not. Stop worrying about what Drew, Zach, or Josh would do. She will love you because you are everything that she needs. Trust me on that," assured Esme and he sighed in relief as he hugged her.

"Thank you. I better get going if I want to be on time." Esme smiled as she watched him get into his truck. Embry walked onto the porch and Esme joined him after Evan departed.

"I hope they have fun," said Esme and Embry smiled at her.

"Thank you for caring so much about him. I know you two are close and he cares what you think. Just so you know, you didn't have to give him money though. I take care of my family."

"And you do a wonderful job of it, Embry. It has nothing to do with that. I like being able to do things for Evan and the last thing he needs to worry about tonight is if he brought enough money to pay for everything. I apologize if I overstepped though."

"You didn't, I just want to make sure you aren't doing any of this because you feel obligated."

"I never feel obligated. He is a wonderful young man and I want what is best for him," assured Esme before turning to leave.

"You know, all those years ago when Bella and Jake first started hanging out, I thought it was just bad luck that we all got caught up in this supernatural stuff. Now, I see that we got really lucky. My son is lucky to have you in his life. Thank you for being there for him. Things are better for him and Faye, but it is nice to know you are looking out for him too, for all the stuff he doesn't feel comfortable talking about with her."

"I will always look out for him. You have raised a good young man and he deserves to be happy."

"Thank you, Esme," said Embry and she waved goodbye to him before leaving.

Josh beamed with happiness as he slipped his hand into Natalie's. The couple was walking on the beach and she giggled when he kissed her.

"Are you having fun," he asked as he pulled her into his arms and she nodded with a bright smile.

"I don't know what I expected La Push to be like, but it is beautiful. I am glad I came."

"Me too, it has been great showing you the sights. We should go surfing in the morning with Z and Al."

"Sure, if I can survive the bonfire tonight. I am still a bit uneasy being around the entire pack. I am not sure if they really like me or just tolerate me because I am your imprint."

"Are you kidding? They think you are awesome. What you are probably sensing is jealousy. Most of them haven't found their imprints yet and Drew is still trying to figure out a way to tell his imprint that he is a wolf."

"That would be hard, especially for a human. I barely understand it."

"We are off the hook for tonight though. We are postponing the bonfire because Evan can't make it. Some of the guys think he is dating someone and trying to keep it private. I don't know why he would though."

"Maybe he is a private person. I can relate to that. It must be hard being in a pack and having to share everything with everyone all the time. Let him have his space."

"See, this is why I love you. You are always thinking about others. How did I get so lucky," he whispered before kissing her.

"I am pretty sure it had something to do with hunting me down with the Volturi," she teased and he laughed.

"I never thought you would joke about that."

"It turned out pretty great, so I am learning to let it go," she said before kissing him again.

"So, what do you want to do tonight since we don't have to go to the bonfire?"

"I was actually looking forward to hearing more about the tribe. I think it is cool that you have such a rich family history. You are lucky to know exactly where you come from and have a family to remind you of it," she admitted and he smiled sympathetically at her.

"I am very lucky to have everything that I do. I just hope you know that everything I have is yours now and you never have to worry about not having someone again."

"I do know that and it is one of the many reasons I love you."

"The many reasons, huh, start listing them," he encouraged and she smirked.

"And inflate your ego even more, no thanks."

"Me, have an ego, I have no clue what you are talking about," he teased back and picked her up into his arms. She giggled and kissed him tenderly as they continued their leisurely stroll down the beach.

Evan gulped and tried to steady his racing heart as he sat in the dark movie theater with Callista that evening. The ferry ride over to Victoria was spent talking about the pack and Evan's family. He couldn't help but to ramble on as his nerves got the best of him, but her smile put him at ease when he asked if she was enjoying herself. He was relieved that they made it on time to the romantic comedy he chose and spent most of the movie trying to decide if it was too forward to hold her hand. He noticed that she was contently watching the movie and his eyes glanced down at her hand resting on the armrest between them. Evan jumped when he heard her whisper to him.

"Are you okay? You don't seem to be enjoying the movie?" He quickly nodded.

"Oh yea, it is great. I was just trying to figure out where I know that guy from. Maybe he was in an action movie I watched," covered Evan and she smiled at him before turning her attention back to the big screen. Evan glanced down at her hand again, but could not find the courage to make his move. He sighed and slumped down in his chair as he started to watch the movie. His eyes widened when Callista slipped her hand into his and he could not hide the grin on his face as she smiled at him. He happily laced their fingers together and scooted closer to her as they watched the rest of the movie. Once the movie ended, the two of them returned to the ferry and he paid for two tickets.

"You don't have to pay for me. That isn't why I hang out with you. You know that, right," she asked and he nodded as he grabbed their tickets.

"I invited you and I like doing things for you," he assured and she smiled appreciatively as he led her over to the top deck of the ferry. The mountains and forest in the distance were breathtaking and they gazed out at the view.

"I always thought Greece had the most beautiful scenery in the world, but this truly is amazing," said Callista and Evan sighed happily as he stared adoringly at her.

"Yes, without a doubt, beautiful," he whispered. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled when her cheek started to heat up.

"I never thought much about the temperature until I met you. There is something very comforting about being so close to someone so warm all the time." He wrapped his arms around her and she instinctively snuggled into his warm embrace.

"I'll always be here to warm you up," he said with a smile as their eyes locked. He gulped as their lips inched closer together, but sighed when she pulled away to create space between them.

"Evan…."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Please don't be mad," he pleaded and she shook her head.

"Evan, I'm not mad at you. I don't think I could ever really be mad at you. I want to kiss you, but it is better if we are just friends."

"Right, just friends, I can do that," he agreed, but she eyed him carefully.

"Can you? I am not naïve. Tonight was a date, an amazing date, but definitely still a date and that complicates us too much. We need to just be friends."

"I don't agree, but if that's what you want, I will do it," he mumbled as he turned away from her and she growled in frustration.

"It has nothing to do with what I want," she informed and he turned to face her again. He could see the conflict and internal struggle playing out in her eyes.

"You keep saying that, but it has everything to do with what you want. Do you want us?" She gulped as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Their eyes locked again and he gently caressed her cheek.

"I know you feel something for me. Why won't you just admit that, Callista?"

"Because feelings, especially passionate feelings based on desire, can be deceiving. I have read the signs wrong before and allowed myself to be manipulated. I have also done plenty of the manipulating. I have done it my entire life. Evan, you and I are very different. You are kind and honest. I have used my body to get what I want in the past. I don't want to be like that anymore and I am trying to change. This, whatever this is, it complicates things for you and I never want to be the reason your life is complicated."

"Callista, I phase into a wolf. Complicated is the story of my life."

"Yes, but you have your friends to help you through it. If I act on my desires, it will cause issues for you with Josh and your pack. You are already being secretive with everyone because of me. You are an honest man. You are sweet and kind. Evan, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I don't want you to stop being that because I ruined everything for you, so…." Before she could continue, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. The move shocked her, but she could not help but melt into his arms as their lips meshed together. He reluctantly pulled away to catch his breath and her eyes widened.

"Wow," she whispered and he grinned.

"That's an understatement," he chuckled as he pulled her closer.

"I warn you that being with me will complicate your life and you finally make a move to kiss me?"

"Finally," he asked and she scoffed.

"I may have been hesitant to give in to my desires, but it doesn't mean I wasn't hoping that you finally would," she confessed. He chuckled and shrugged.

"It took me some time to work up the courage and I didn't want to do anything you didn't want me to do. You are my imprint. I never want to do something to make you feel uncomfortable."

"You mentioned that term before and I have heard the legends, but what exactly is it," she questioned and he chuckled nervously.

"Uh, yea, I didn't mean for that to slip out the way it did. It is true though. Wait, what have you heard?"

"The story of Jacob Black possessing Renesmee Cullen when she was first born."

"It's not really a possession and that might not be the best example. That's pretty rare. Although, Tommy and Owen are a product of it….huh….I never thought of them like that. I mean it's not a bad thing. I just…."

"Evan, focus," giggled Callista and he smiled sheepishly.

"Right, us, and this whole imprinting thing, I want to be with you and unless I am reading the signs horribly wrong, you want to be with me too. Wait, did I just read the signs horribly…." She cut him off with a kiss and he beamed with happiness when she slipped her hands into his.

"You aren't reading the signs wrong. My desire is to be with you, Evan. I think of you all the time to the point of feeling obsessed. I worry about if you are alright when you are in La Push and I am not with you. I fear what will happen when you tell your pack and Josh….."

"I can handle that. What I can't handle is not being with you. If you don't want to be more than friends, then I will find a way to cope with that, but I can't handle not being in your life, Callista. Esme told me to just be myself, so here I go. I have spent most of my life feeling invisible. Then, one day I woke up and I am stronger and faster than I ever thought possible. Suddenly I was in a pack and my life changed for the better, but I still felt lost. I have so many amazing things, but there was always something missing. I thought it was about my mom and her issues with what I am, but it is more than that. I know that now because I finally found someone that makes me feel like I am not roaming around in this world without a purpose. Callista, that person is you. I am in love with you and all I want is your happiness, so you can call it imprinting, possession, mating, or whatever as long as I can be with you." She caressed his cheek and he leaned into her touch.

"Then I guess we are going to have to figure out how to tell Josh that we are in love," she confessed. His eyes lit up with happiness and she giggled as he showered her with kisses.

"So, does that mean you will be my girlfriend?" She laughed and nodded.

"I think that is fair to say," she teased before tenderly kissing him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night, after spending time with Emily and Sam, Allie and Zach decided to go for a hunt deep within the Olympic Forest. Zach watched with pride as his mate took down a deer and quenched her thirst. She smiled contently when she was sated and Zach wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Did you have fun today," he asked and she happily nodded.

"It was amazing getting to spend time with my parents. I know my mom misses me being home, so it was fun being with them all day. I hate that we can't go into town because of how different I look though. I am looking forward to heading up to Cape Flattery by ourselves. Just you and me, when was the last time we got to just relax like this?"

"It feels like it has been an eternity. I think we could all use the downtime. The past months have been a whirlwind. J and I graduated. You became a vampire. We got engaged. We helped J find Natalie. It has been a lot and I think everyone is welcoming the peace and quiet."

"It has been very peaceful and quiet…..too quiet," she warned and he chuckled.

"You sound very paranoid right now."

"Look, Cullen, I love that we get to enjoy ourselves, but I know the history of this family and the drama that can ensue. You aren't even a little concerned that suddenly we are able to roam freely, bask in all this serenity, and there are no strings attached?"

"We have been through a lot this year. We deserve a break."

"I agree, but I still think it has been too quiet."

"You sound like my mother. Do you know that I am not even allowed to say the word perfect around her without her freaking out and thinking I will jinx it?"

"What about your Aunt Alice? The wedding is in a few months and she isn't pestering us about it anymore. That is strange for her."

"Well, I welcome that strangeness. If it means I get to spend time with my mate uninterrupted then she can be as strange as she wants."

"Be careful what you wish for," warned Allie and he shook his head in amusement before tenderly kissing his mate.

Bella and Edward returned to their cottage after a moonlit swim and romantic evening on the beach. He grinned crookedly at his mate as she turned on one of his favorite songs and started the fireplace. She put her shield down so he could read her thoughts and he smiled even more.

"I agree, love. It was the perfect day and I look forward to another perfect night with you," he said as she sauntered over to him. He groaned as he heard thoughts in the distance.

"Well, it was nice while it lasted," he grumbled and it was her turn to groan as Alice marched into the cottage with Jasper not far behind.

"Okay, this whole not seeing around the wolf pack thing is getting old! There are things I need to know. There might be things I need to meddle in. How can I meddle if I can't see," exclaimed Alice and Bella smirked.

"It has never stopped you before," grumbled Bella. Alice planted her hands on her hips. "Don't you take that tone with me Isabella Marie Cullen! There is some serious drama about to go down in La Push and I am trying to stop it from happening!"

"Alice, what have you seen," asked Bella and Alice waved her off with a shrug.

"Nothing yet," assured Alice.

"Then why are you marching in here and freaking out," shrieked Bella.

"Because I can't see anything clearly, obviously! Eleazar is helping me work through my issues with the pack impairing my visions, but everything is blurry at best. While you two have been here relaxing, I have been trying to piece together my visions like a puzzle," shouted Alice and Bella threw her hands up in exasperation. Jasper stepped in between them and smiled lovingly at his mate.

"Darlin', we are just trying to follow along here. What have you seen and what has you so upset," comforted Jasper.

"There may or may not be a situation where there may or may not be a fight and different imprints may or may not be involved," explained Alice.

"And this may or may not make any sense," informed Bella as Alice pouted.

"What Alice is trying to say is that Evan imprinting on Callista has made some things complicated," explained Edward.

"But it doesn't have to be complicated. I understand why you didn't want me to say anything to Jake or Leah at first but maybe we should tell them and they can just sit him down and say, Josh, Evan imprinted on your ex-girlfriend while hanging out on the island for your birthday…..and that is not a good way to say that," admitted Bella as she heard it out loud and Jasper chuckled.

"Is there a good way to say it though? Imprinting is complicated and I am not sure this is our business in the first place," warned Jasper.

"Edward, tell him why he is wrong," urged Alice and Edward groaned.

"Do I have to," whined Edward.

"Well, I can't. He is my mate and I hate having to disagree with him," said Alice.

"I'm still right here," reminded Jasper and Alice nudged Edward.

"Fine, Jasper, while I am all for not meddling, we are connected to the pack so their drama becomes our drama and their issues eventually become our issues," explained Edward and Alice huffed.

"That was a horrible explanation," scolded Alice and Edward rolled his eyes.

"Then you do it," challenged Edward. Alice wrapped her arms around her mate.

"Jazzy, Zach is friends with Josh and Evan. Evan doesn't want to hurt Josh, but is going to side with Callista because that is his imprint. Esme loves Evan and will not let anything happen to him and so this problem is now our problem because their issues become our issues," explained Alice.

"I literally just said…." Alice interrupted Edward.

"And wolves are crazy! We can all pretend like they aren't, but they are. They imprint in the most random of ways. They are temperamental and worst of all, they are unpredictable," announced Alice.

"Really, you consider that worse than imprinting randomly," giggled Bella and Alice scoffed.

"Of course it is, because it affects me. I can't see around them and it is going to drive me crazy," wailed Alice and Jasper frowned in confusion.

"But what has changed since earlier today, darlin'? You were excited about helping Esme with Evan and Callista," said Jasper.

"Something has changed. I don't know what, but I can feel it or at least it will change. Eleazar keeps telling me to go with my instincts and they are telling me that something is about to happen."

"Then, it is simple. Let's just tell them what we know," suggested Bella.

"Yea, great idea, why didn't I think of that? Oh wait, I did and the visions got blurry and my instincts screamed at me that it wasn't a good idea," exclaimed Alice.

"You don't have to be condescending about it," retorted Bella and Alice sighed as she hugged her sister.

"I am sorry. Sometimes I can get a little anxious when I can't see things," admitted Alice and Bella arched an eyebrow at her.

"Huh, haven't noticed," teased Bella and Alice playfully glared at her. Edward frowned as he read Jasper's thoughts.

"You can't be serious. You really think that is a solution," asked Edward and Jasper slowly nodded as he mulled his thoughts over.

"Eleazar and I have talked about how Alice's power is connected to her emotions and her connection to the people close to her. It usually works in her favor, but sometimes it can hinder her. Sometimes, you focus so hard on your visions that you try to force them. Darlin' what if we took a different approach? Take a step back, get away for a bit, and clear your head. Maybe it will allow you to relax enough to let your visions alert you instead of trying to force them to," advised Jasper.

"It is worth a try, but what if something happens? I will never forgive myself. I feel so trapped. I get a bad feeling if I tell Josh. I get a bad feeling if I don't. I mean, don't I owe it to him to tell him? Don't tell Seth this, but he is my favorite wolf. His fashion sense is impeccable. I have taught him so well. He is also like a nephew to me. I don't like keeping things from him like this, but I also don't feel like it is my place to tell him if it will only make things worse."

"Alice, I have sifted through your visions and I don't see enough to go off of one way or another. That means all you have left is your instinct. What is your instinct telling you to do," questioned Edward and she smiled at her mate.

"It tells me to go with Jazzy and try to relax," she said as she slipped her hand into Jasper's.

"Then do that," agreed Bella and Alice groaned.

"But this whole not meddling thing just feels so strange," whined Alice and Bella laughed.

"Then think of it as not meddling prematurely. It is progress," assured Bella and Alice thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, I will try this 'not meddling before I have the answers' thing. It sounds ridiculous if you ask me though," said Alice as she marched out of the cottage and Jasper chuckled.

"Wish me luck," said Jasper and Bella winked at him.

"You'll need it," called Bella as Jasper went after his mate.

Evan whistled along to the song playing on the stereo of his truck as he drove back to La Push. It was dawn and the fog was rolling through the region along with the early morning clouds. He spent the entire night with Callista under the stars. Once they arrived back to Port Angeles on the ferry, they spent the night kissing by the water and talking. It amazed Evan how easy it felt to talk with Callista and he shared secrets with her that he even tried to keep from the pack by pushing the thoughts away as much as possible. He pulled into the driveway of his house and was surprised to see Colt waiting on the porch for him. Evan did his best to not seem rattled by his friend's presence and gave a smile as he hopped out of the truck.

"What are you doing up? It is really early," asked Evan and Colt shrugged.

"I didn't sleep. I just ran most of the night to clear my head. Where have you been lately?"

"I've been clearing my head too." Colt smirked as he stood up.

"You're such a liar, Evan. I know something is going on with you. I have for a while, but it was pretty clear when you bailed on us last night."

"What are you talking about?"

"The bonfire, remember," interrogated Colt and Evan rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Look, I didn't bail. I just had other stuff to do and I told everyone I would do it next time."

"Well, it was cancelled instead. What is up with you lately? It is like you don't want to hang out with us anymore. You don't phase. You don't come over to play video games. It is like you are doing everything possible to not be part of the pack."

"I think you are being a bit dramatic, Colt. We don't have to do everything together. We don't have to spend every waking moment together to be friends. You know what is going on? I am trying to figure out my life just like everyone else is. Drew is trying to figure out what to tell Lexi. Braden is trying to decide if he wants to stay on the rez or go to college. Daniel, Owen, and Tommy are getting more responsibilities in the Tribal Council. We have lives and we are growing up. What is wrong with that?"

"The difference is that the others still make time to hang. You don't, so cut the crap. What is really going on with you? I know there is something." Evan stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you," he said as honestly as he could and Colt gave a curt nod.

"Then I guess we aren't as close as I thought we were. Have a good life, bud," grumbled Colt as he walked by Evan.

"Colt, wait," called Evan and Colt spun around to glare at him.

"You know, this is why I don't get close to people or even bother trying to trust them. I have always been able to sense when people are lying to me. Too bad it doesn't make it suck any less. I chose you as my best friend because you were the most honest person I knew. I guess I was wrong," said Colt before phasing and galloping into the forest. Evan gritted his teeth in frustration, but didn't go after his friend. After all, he had no clue what to say that would not result in a lie.

Esme smiled sweetly at Alice and Jasper as they entered the house on the outskirts of Forks. Esme was in the middle of renovating the kitchen and Alice nodded in approval.

"This is the perfect color scheme. It is beautiful," complimented Alice and Esme hugged them in greeting.

"Redecorating is keeping me busy while Carlisle is at the hospital. When they said they could use his help for a bit with some scheduled surgeries, I had no clue it would be this many. I thought we could use the time alone here as a little vacation."

"He will be home soon for a bit. He does have to go back in later, but he is almost done. We are going to head to Ireland to spend some time with Connell and Tia," informed Alice.

"That sounds lovely. I guess that means all is going well with Evan and Callista if you are willing to leave the country," teased Esme.

"We will only be a blink away if we are needed," informed Alice.

"I know you will. Go have fun. I am sure Connell and Jasper have some great battle stories to compare." Jasper winked at her.

"Mine are better," he assured.

"Don't let him fool you. He loves hearing about The Guard and all their adventures. Connell and I have more common than I assumed we would as well. I knew that Tia and I would enjoy shopping together, but I underestimated how fascinating Connell's life has been. Besides, he gets sensitive when I don't give him attention. He is very high maintenance and don't let him tell you otherwise."

"Well, it sounds like you will have fun. I will see you two later," said Esme. Alice glanced at Jasper. Esme noticed and eyed them curiously.

"What am I missing," asked Esme and Jasper cleared his throat.

"We just want you to be very cautious around the wolves. They are still unpredictable and their moods can change in an instant, so please be careful," advised Jasper. Esme frowned in confusion.

"Did you see something that I should be concerned about," asked Esme and Alice shook her head.

"See, no, but I just have a strange feeling. It is just an instinct. I can't get a good read on Evan and Callista's future, which means the pack is involved."

"Of course they are, Evan is part of the pack," said Esme.

"I know you are an optimist, but I just want you to be careful. They are dealing with a lot of emotions. Even Sam went off the deep end when he found out about Zach and Allie and he is a grown man. I love the pack and you know that, but they still have the traits of all the other generations of wolves before them, impulsivity, irrationality, and issues dealing with anger when faced with a problem. I may not be able to see it, but I can sense it. Things are about to get complicated."

"But they have something the others did not, us. Jacob, Leah, and Sam were blinded by their hatred for us, but this pack is not. They know us and they are far more rational than the packs before them. Things may get complicated, but we will deal with it like we always do," assured Esme.

"I have no doubt about that and that is not my concern," admitted Alice.

"Then what is your concern?"

"In case you have not noticed, in the past I have gotten a bit….frazzled…when I go blank."

"I have noticed, dear," giggled Esme and Alice did as well.

"That is not the case in this situation because I can feel my powers growing. Eleazar and Jasper are right. I may not always be able to see and I may not always be happy about that, but I can still sense things."

"Then what do you sense?"

"I know you want everything to be perfect for Evan. I have grown quite fond of him too. Just remember that we are dealing with temperamental, young wolves. Please be careful," advised Alice and Esme slowly nodded.

"Understood," said Esme. Jasper kissed the top of her head.

"Good because while I am fond of this wolf pack, if anything happens to you on their watch, there will be hell to pay," warned Jasper and she kissed his cheek.

"Always so protective," said Esme and he winked at her.

"And always will be," he added before walking out of the house. Alice hugged Esme as well before following her mate. Esme could hear Connell and Tia appear outside to get Alice and Jasper. The four of them were gone in seconds, leaving Esme to mull over her children's words.

That night, Evan happily walked hand in hand with Callista at the annual summer carnival in Port Angeles. They made their way through the crowd of people and to the Ferris wheel. Callista giggled as Evan wrapped her in his warm embrace and they sat down in one of the passenger cars. It was a clear, starry night and Callista smiled at the view as the ride began. She rested her head on Evan's shoulder and he kissed her forehead.

"I really like Port Angeles," admitted Callista and Evan beamed with happiness.

"I am glad you are sticking around for a bit. I was worried you would want to go back to Greece already."

"I have a pretty good reason to stay in the area. Besides, it was simple to rent a cabin in Sequim. It doesn't have a carnival like Port Angeles, but it allows me to be close to you without worrying about running into your pack or anyone else."

"Maybe I can see your cabin soon….I mean I don't have to….if you want me to, that would be fun. I mean we could just have innocent fun, like watch a movie….not that I wouldn't be all for other types of fun, but…." He quickly covered his mouth and blushed deep red as Callista giggled at his reaction.

"Other types of fun," she asked with a mischievous smile and he blushed even more.

"I didn't mean it like that. I am all for taking things slowly. Not that I don't want to see the inside of your cabin. I mean I have fantasized about what could happen inside your….I'm going to shut up now," said Evan as he placed his face in his hands and she laughed.

"No, by all means, I am having fun watching you fumble around with this euphemism," she teased.

"Back to Port Angeles, I am glad you like it here and are having fun, even if it is at my expense," he teased back.

"I haven't been to a carnival since I was a child. My father would take me to the Carnival of Patras. It is a big event in Greece. There are balls, parades, and even a treasure hunt. I was always the best at finding the treasure."

"You don't talk about Greece very much or your childhood."

"It isn't the best story," she confessed as she looked down at her hands in her lap. He tilted her chin back up to him and gazed into her eyes.

"Doesn't mean you can't tell me. You don't have to, but I am here and I am not going anywhere," he assured.

"My mother died from cancer when I was a child and my father never really recovered. He always took care of me though until his dying day. I was nineteen when that happened. I always told him he worked too hard. He always told me I deserved the best and him working hard would get that for me. He had a heart attack."

"I'm so sorry. That is horrible."

"It was a long time ago," she said with a sad shrug and he slipped his hand into hers.

"You know, I have heard a lot of origin stories about vampires. They usually involve tragedy. I wonder why that is."

"Because most of us are not Zachary or Renesmee Cullen, we weren't born into this existence. Most of us were turned, often against our will."

"Is that what happened to you? Did you not want this life?"

"I was seduced and lured into it. Maksim was obsessed with me, well, my beauty. He said he turned me so we could be together. I was young and foolish enough to believe him. I thought I loved him and after my father died, I didn't have much to lose, but Maksim was always a very selfish man. He didn't warn me about the burning or pain of transformation. I thought it would be like in the movies, a quick bite and it would be over, but three days felt like an eternity. When I woke up, I was angry with him and it didn't help that he was insufferable and controlling. Trying to control a newborn is hard enough without being possessive. I pushed back and eventually had enough. We parted ways and realized we were not mates, so I continued on in this existence on my own."

"So he is still out there somewhere? When is the last time you saw him?"

"It has been over fifteen years, but you have nothing to worry about. Maksim and I are nothing to each other."

"Fifteen years, so you were turned a little before that," he mumbled to himself and she giggled as she saw his scowl.

"Ah, so this is not about jealousy over Maksim. It is about my age," she informed and his eyes widened as he shook his head.

"What, no, of course not," he tried to lie, but she smirked.

"I can practically see the wheels turning in her head," she teased and he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, I just am curious. Vampires can live forever, so…."

"Since we are dating, it is only fair that you get to ask. I am thirty five, does that bother you?" He smiled as he shook his head.

"No way, I knew you were older than me. I have to admit that I was way off though," he confessed and she playfully glared at him.

"How off," she questioned.

"Well, you are really beautiful and the most beautiful vampires I know are all centuries old so I figured….." He trailed off and pretended to check the time on his watch.

"You thought I was hundreds of years old," she accused and he shook with mirth as he tried not to laugh.

"I didn't know," he laughed.

"Did you just tell the woman you love you think she is an old lady?" He pushed out his bottom lip in a pout and she rolled her eyes but smiled at him.

"Most of the vampires I know are much older than me. Esme is centuries old and I guess I just always assume I am dealing with people with far more life experience than me."

"I suppose that is true. Esme is a very kind woman. I understand why you are so close with her."

"I got really lucky meeting her and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know you."

"Then I guess that makes me extremely lucky as well," she said with a smile and he happily kissed her as the Ferris wheel made its last rotation. Colt shook his head as he looked up from the parking lot at the two of them kissing on the ride. He was about to call Drew, but decided against it. He tracked Evan because he wanted to know the truth. Now, he had to decide what he wanted to do with that information.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Evan sighed happily as he dried his hair with a towel and moseyed back into his bedroom. He put on a pair of sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt as he yawned. He stayed out all night with Callista and spent most of the day catching up on sleep. He was about to grab his phone to call Callista, but was interrupted by his father knocking on the door. Embry walked in with a sly smile and Evan rolled his eyes.

"Dad, please don't," whined Evan.

"Don't what, I just got here," teased Embry.

"I know that smile. You are about to grill me about what happened last night."

"Well, I am your father and you were out all night. I know for a fact that you weren't out on official pack business because I saw Drew and Daniel in town, which means you were out with Callista. For two people in the eternal friend zone, you sure are spending a lot of time together."

"Okay, so maybe you were right and I don't have to worry about being in the friend zone. Callista is officially my girlfriend," announced Evan and he blushed as Embry ruffled his wet hair.

"Well look at you making moves and getting a girlfriend."

"Dad," whined Evan and Embry chuckled.

"Fine, I will stop teasing you. I just wanted to let you know that you are on your own tonight. Your mom was called in and I have to head to a council meeting. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I never do, dad," chuckled Evan as Embry winked at him. Evan fell back onto his bed with a serene grin. He grabbed his phone and saw that Callista left him a message.

Can't wait to see you tonight. - C

Evan couldn't hide his smile as he read the message over again, but before he could message her back, he heard a car pull up in the driveway. He grinned when he saw Esme walking up the driveway from his window and he quickly jogged to the front door to greet her.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you headed back to the island by now," said Evan as he hugged her.

"Carlisle was called into the hospital. There was some emergency that needs his expertise. Your mother is there as well. I saw her when I dropped him off."

"I think this is the most I have ever seen you without him. It is kind of weird."

"Well, don't worry. We won't make it a habit. Can I come in?"

"Of course, make yourself at home. Can I get you anything? Water or…" She giggled and he smiled sheepishly when he caught his mistake.

"Sorry, it is a habit," he informed.

"A great habit to have and I appreciate your hospitality. I won't keep you long. I just wanted to check in to make sure everything is going well with you and Callista," she said as she sat down on the couch and he joined her.

"Esme, she is amazing and things are great. She even got a cabin in Sequim so we can be close to each other."

"That is wonderful and it sounds serious if she is willing to stick around for a bit."

"I took your advice and just let everything fall into place. It worked."

"I knew it would because you are a wonderful young man and any woman would be crazy not to see that."

"Thanks, Callista is….." She placed her hand on his to stop him as she stood up and he frowned in confusion.

"What's wrong," he asked and she made her way toward the front door.

"I sense someone is coming and not by car. It is a wolf, are you expecting company," she questioned and he shook his head as he stepped out onto the porch. His senses began to perk up as well.

"No, but I can sense it now too. How did you know? I didn't even notice."

"Years of practice and I am always aware of my surroundings," she informed. A shirtless Colt emerged from the trees in a pair of swim trunks and crossed his arms as he approached. Esme could sense the boy's anger rolling off of him and Evan gulped as he noticed it too.

"Hey, what's up," questioned Evan and Colt smirked.

"You tell me," challenged Colt.

"Look, man, I don't have time for your mood swings right now so…."

"I saw you," accused Colt and Evan frowned in confusion.

"Saw me where? What are you talking about?"

"I saw you in Port Angeles with Josh's ex. I can't believe you would do that to him! That is why you have been acting so weird and all secretive, isn't it!"

"You don't know what you are talking about," said Evan.

"Great, yet another lie. You know, I remember when you used to be a horrible liar. I guess you have gotten a lot of practice hanging around the Cullens." Evan took a step forward, but Esme pulled him back.

"Let it go," she suggested. Evan shook his head.

"Watch your mouth, Colt. The Cullens have been nothing but kind to us, especially Esme. You owe her an apology."

"Evan, let it go," warned Esme as Evan hopped off of the porch. The two boys began circling each other and Esme sighed when she heard her phone ringing in her pocket. She ignored it and stepped off of the porch.

"Boys, calm down. You two are friends," soothed Esme, but Colt laughed bitterly.

"We were best friends until being with vampires became more important than being with his people," spouted Colt.

"Colt, you are upset, but you two can talk this out," said Esme as Colt began to shake.

"Stay out of this," he roared. Evan had enough and forcefully pushed Colt in the chest as hard as he could. Colt fell backwards, but before he could hit the ground, he phased. Evan was about to phase as well, but Esme spun him around to face her. She locked eyes with him to keep his attention.

"Evan, don't. You will regret it if you do. He is your best friend and he is upset. Don't make it worse by letting this escalate. You are better than that," she urged and Evan let out a growl of frustration. He clenched his fists and took in a couple of deep breaths to calm down as she smiled.

"There you go. Stay calm," she encouraged and he nodded.

"I am okay," he assured before turning back to face Colt. The wolf growled at him, but Evan did not budge.

"I'm not going to fight you. We are best friends." Evan sighed as Colt galloped into the forest. He hugged Esme and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Well, I guess the pack knows now," he mumbled and she slowly nodded as they watched Colt disappear into the forest.

Natalie laughed as she followed Josh up to his house with the surfboard he bought her. She placed it on the side of the house and did a celebratory dance as Josh rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you think you are so cool now because you can stick some cool flips on a surfboard? I will have you know that I have been surfing like a pro since I was a kid."

"And yet I can beat you with what you and Zach would call my mad skills," she challenged and he guffawed.

"Did you just….you did not just challenge me! Alright, tomorrow morning, as soon as dawn breaks, you and me take to the waves to settle this once and for all," he declared and she nodded with a sly smile.

"Sounds fun and don't worry, once I beat you, I will comfort you during the agony of defeat," she assured and he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Promise," he teased and she passionately kissed him. Colt cleared his throat as he walked over to them and Josh frowned in confusion when he saw him.

"What are you doing here," asked Josh and Colt wrung his hands nervously.

"We need to talk, in private," informed Colt as he glanced at Natalie.

"Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of my mate. What's up, Colt," questioned Josh. Colt looked down and Natalie could sense that Colt was anxious. She kissed Josh's cheek and gave him a wink.

"I should go shower anyways. We are hanging out with your parents once they get back from the shopping trip, right," she asked and Josh nodded with a smile.

"Yea, it will be fun. Z and Al should be back in a couple of hours too."

"Good, see you in a bit," she said before awkwardly waving goodbye to Colt. Josh crossed his arms and frowned at Colt.

"Okay, what's your deal? You're even more surly than usual. I swear you act like an old grandpa when you are cranky."

"Let's go for a walk," said Colt.

"Oh, this doesn't sound like bad news at all," grumbled Josh as he followed Colt back down to the beach.

"You know, I don't get it."

"Get what," asked Josh.

"The hold vampire women have over wolves. It's like they lock you in a trance and suddenly you are willing to sell your soul for them or something."

"Let me get this straight. You interrupt my time with my imprint, so you can bash vampires? I don't think you understand how productive conversations work so….." Colt grabbed his arm as Josh turned to leave.

"I am not talking just about Natalie. Look, we all know the legends and the history of our tribe. Nothing became this complicated until vampire women got involved. We had a sense of unity until these women started creating rifts and that all started with Bella. I don't have a problem with her personally, but this pattern is ridiculous."

"Bella was a human and I really feel weird talking to you about one of my dad's best friends."

"You mean the best friend that he tried to destroy our tribe over? The one that he created a new pack for just to protect…well after first trying to attack….then protect, I always get it confused," said Colt and Josh glared at him.

"If you are trying to piss me off, it's working," warned Josh.

"I don't want to see any of that crap happen to my friend. We have to learn from the past. Your dad caused a war because Bella became a vampire and then Renesmee and then Seth got with Kaya."

"That isn't exactly how it happened."

"What about Allie? How many wars have to be started because of vampires before the madness ends? I am not here to piss you off….."

"You could have fooled me."

"I just don't want to see Evan end up in a war with the pack or your family, especially with someone as powerful as Zach. Evan may not realize it, but I am doing this to protect him, since she is making it impossible for him to protect himself."

"Dude, look, you aren't making any sense and I have a mate to get back to you, so this has been fun. Actually, not really, let's try to keep these interactions down to a minimum. Okay, good," called Josh as he turned toward the house again.

"Evan is with Callista," blurted out Colt and Josh spun back around.

"I'm sorry, what," asked Josh and Colt crossed his arms.

"So tell me, Josh, what choice are you going to make? How many more vampire women get to destroy our packs before we protect each other? You know Callista is bad news. We have to protect Evan," declared Colt as Josh stood in silence and utter shock.

Evan turned off his cell phone as it rang once again. He shoved it into one of the pockets of his cargo shorts and made his way up to Callista's cabin in Sequim. He sighed in relief when she opened the door before he could even step onto the porch. She hugged him with a giggle and he clung to her as he took in her scent. She could immediately sense something was wrong.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you for a few more hours. What's going on? Did you run here?"

"Colt knows about us," he confessed and she gulped.

"I am guessing by the way you said that, you weren't the one to tell him."

"No, I should have been, but I wasn't."

"How did he even find out?"

"He saw us together in Port Angeles. I guess he followed me. I should have been more careful. He knew I was keeping something from him, but I didn't care. I should have just told him."

"You can't beat yourself up about this."

"Callista, Colt knows, which means the rest of the pack knows as well."

"Would he really betray your trust like that? You are best friends." Evan ran a hand through his hair as he paced around the cabin.

"Colt can be a hot head. Out of all of us, he is the one that has the hardest time dealing with his anger. He'll just see red and you never really know what will come out of his mouth or what he will do. He is my best friend, but he has a mean streak. He always regrets it, but he is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sometimes."

"Evan, if you want me to leave….."

"No, I don't want you to leave. I never want you to leave. I just wanted to tell you face to face why I have to cancel our date tonight. I need to go deal with this." She gritted her teeth in frustration.

"This is exactly what I didn't want! Everything is so screwed up because of me."

"This isn't your fault. It is mine and once I face everyone, we can be together."

"Life isn't that simple, Evan. I love that you believe that, but you just told me that your best friend can be unpredictable. Now, I am supposed to feel okay about you leaving to go confront him and the entire pack about all of this? You don't have to face this alone." He kissed her passionately and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you and as strange as it sounds, I am relieved they know. I have never felt so happy in my life. You are everything to me and I can finally show that."

"I love you too," she whimpered as she hugged him and he could sense her anxiety.

"Don't worry. I will be back soon and maybe I can get a tour of the cabin," he said with a wink.

"Was that a euphemism," she challenged and he kissed her passionately. She melted into his arms and he chuckled when they pulled apart.

"Only if you want it to be, it is your choice," he said before jogging back into the forest. She giggled, but her smile faded as a sense of uneasiness fell over her. In that moment, she realized just how powerful her bond to Evan was. He was her mate and she was suddenly very aware of the danger he was putting himself in.

The sun began to set as Zach's booming laugh echoed around the forest of Cape Flattery. He and Allie spent hours in their favorite spot along the coast before deciding to finish up with a long hunt. She leapt into a tree and playfully balanced on a limb as she watched her mate scan the area for bears.

"I know Alice says it is fine, but it feels weird coming back to the region so soon. I told myself I wouldn't be able to come and go as I please here for a few years after being a newborn. Everyone thinks I moved to Alaska."

"You know Aunt Alice has taken care of it. Mia is visiting family for the summer in North Dakota and as long as we stay out of Forks, it shouldn't be a problem for either of us."

"I guess Mia is the main person I am worried about seeing me like this. Once Drew tells Lexi the truth that will be one less person to worry about." Zach suddenly stopped and Allie did as well when she sensed a wolf heading their way. They frowned in confusion when Drew galloped over to them and phased back into human form. Allie quickly diverted her eyes from his naked body and turned around.

"Dude," shrieked Zach and Drew chuckled.

"Sorry, I forgot," said Drew as he jogged over to a bush to change into his shorts. Allie smirked.

"How can you forget that you are naked? You wolves are way too comfortable just letting everything hang out! That is one thing I am glad my dad kept from me. I have seen more of you than I ever wanted to," scolded Allie and Drew smiled slyly as he jogged back over to them.

"I doubt that. Come on, we did date," reminded Drew and Zach quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You know I could throw you into the ocean from here, right," challenged Zach and Drew put his hands up in surrender.

"Point taken, but it isn't my fault. Alice told me to come get you, something about your phones not working," defended Drew.

"Oh yea, we got a little carried away and ended up in the water. I'm pretty sure those things are somewhere at the bottom of the ocean by now," said Zach as he chuckled and Allie winked at him.

"It was totally worth it," whispered Allie and Zach nuzzled her neck.

"Which time," he teased. Drew shuddered.

"Okay, still your ex-boyfriend and still standing right here. Cool off, you two! We have a serious problem," warned Drew.

"We do," asked Zach and Drew nodded.

"Look, I should have said something before when I sensed it but I figured Evan would tell everyone in due time. Besides, I didn't know it was Callista."

"Callista," asked Zach and Allie in unison and Drew sighed.

"Yea, I can sense when others in the pack have imprinted. I know the look, but thought Evan was just being private about it because he wanted to tell us in his own time. It isn't that simple though. Evan imprinted on Callista and I have a bad feeling that Josh is about to find out. We need to get back to La Push," informed Drew.

"Why didn't Alice just come get us," asked Allie and Drew shrugged.

"Something about not seeing everything or meddling without answers still being the best type of meddling….I don't know. It is really hard to understand your aunt, Zach," admitted Drew and Zach nodded in agreement as they headed back toward La Push.

Darkness fell over the region and cooler temperatures rolled in with the night air. Carlisle tried his best to walk at human speed as he hurried out of the hospital and over to the Mercedes where Esme was waiting for him. He sighed in relief when he saw her and pulled her in for a tender kiss. He hugged her tightly and she caressed his hair, sensing his concern.

"I am alright, my love," she assured.

"Why didn't you call me? I had to hear about it from Alice."

"You were performing open-heart surgery and I didn't want your focus on anything but saving that woman's life."

"She is fine, but that is not the point. You are my first concern, always. I could have let Hoffman finish up. You should have told me what was going on."

"It all happened so quickly."

"Where is everyone now," asked Carlisle as they got into the car.

"Alice has alerted everyone and Connell is bringing her and Jasper back from Ireland. They are headed to the island first. She still can't see much. The pack is officially involved. We should get to Jacob and Leah's house," suggested Esme and Carlisle nodded in agreement as he sped out of the parking lot.

When Evan arrived back in La Push, he could feel the tension coursing through his body. He wasn't ready to face the pack or Josh yet, so he decided to go home and put on some clothes. Embry was waiting for him when he arrived and Evan sighed as his father followed him to his bedroom.

"Sam told me about what happened. He got the call at the meeting. Are you okay," asked Embry as Evan put on a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

"I will be once this is all over."

"Why are you getting dressed? I figured you would be ready to phase at any moment."

"I don't want to phase. I don't want them in my head and trying to pick apart my thoughts. I want to talk to the pack face to face and then go speak with Josh. After all this is over, I am heading to Sequim to spend some time with Callista," explained Evan as he finished getting dressed and grabbed his keys.

"Just be honest with them. She is your imprint. They will have to respect that," suggested Embry and Evan hugged his father.

"Thanks, dad, for everything. See you later," called Evan as he ran out of the house. He hopped into his truck and took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. As soon as he headed toward the beach where the pack usually had meetings, he could sense his body starting to shake. He was on edge and he hoped he was able to stay in control. Suddenly, he saw bright headlights appear behind him as a truck barreled down the narrow road.

"What the hell," he mumbled to himself as he looked in his rearview mirror. The truck was mere inches away from his bumper and he noticed that it was Josh. Colt was riding with him and Evan gulped as he pulled over to the side of the road. He frowned at Josh and Colt as they hopped out of the truck.

"Are you two crazy? You are lucky I didn't brake or both our cars would have been messed up," shouted Evan and Colt smirked.

"The trucks aren't important right now. You lying to everyone is what we are here about," said Colt and Evan groaned as Josh glared at him.

"I can't believe you told him. I thought we were friends, Colt," said Evan.

"Hey, don't turn this around on me! You have been lying for weeks to everyone, including me. You're the one that is wrong," shouted Colt. Evan turned his attention to Josh.

"Look Josh, I can explain…."

"Are you out of your damn mind? I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends and I didn't expect for it to happen like this. I saw Callista when she came to speak with you on the island. I imprinted on her and we have been trying to figure out how to deal with all of this ever since."

"There is no way you imprinted on her. This is what she does, Evan! She is nothing but a seductress and she is manipulating you," accused Josh. Evan let out a low growl.

"Don't talk about her like that," warned Evan.

"I have seen it up close, remember? She knows our connections to the vampire world and wants to reap the rewards. She doesn't love you, Evan. You're just another guy that she lured into her bed!" Colt noticed Evan clenching his fists as he began to shake.

"Josh, lay off. We are here to protect him, not attack him," warned Colt, but Josh scoffed.

"Shut up, Colt! You came to me and now I am handling it. You are no better than him. At the first sign of trouble, you came running to me to rat out your best friend. The pack sure has one hell of a code. This isn't about that though. It is about Callista. First, she tried to get to me and when her plan didn't work, she moved on to you, Evan. You aren't thinking clearly because you are under her spell, but you know I am right. If Zach didn't have a mate, Callista would have slept with him, but she had to settle for one of the consolation prizes," shouted Josh, who was surprised when Evan phased and took a swipe at him. Josh jumped out of the way and phased as Colt looked on in shock. The two wolves circled each other and Josh leapt at Evan. He pounced and Colt phased to help his friend. Colt knocked Josh off of Evan, but Josh was too strong and fast to allow the two wolves to recover. They pounced on him, but he shook them off.

"Josh, stop," shouted Kaya as she and Seth arrived. Josh was distracted for a moment by their sudden arrival, giving Colt a chance to jump on his back. Seth sprang into action to help his nephew and kicked Colt off of Josh with his hind legs. Evan pounced on Josh again, but Josh was too strong for him. He clamped down on the fur at the back of Evan's neck and hurled him as hard as he could off of him. Evan yelped as he crashed into a pile of boulders and rolled into a nearby creek.

"Josh, enough," demanded Kaya as she impeded his path to Evan. Josh could feel the rage pulsing inside of him and he wanted to go after Evan again, but Seth's voice in his mind stopped him. He could hear his uncle trying to calm him down and Josh slowly began to come down from his blind rage as Sam, Carlisle, and Esme arrived in their cars. They parked on the side of the road and Sam ran over to Colt as the wolf roared at Josh.

"Silence, Colt," bellowed Sam and the wolf whimpered as he galloped toward the creek. Sam followed Colt's gaze and his eyes widened.

"Carlisle, Evan is really hurt," said Sam as he followed Colt to where Evan was crumpled in a heap in the water. He phased back into human form as Esme and Carlisle blurred over to his side. Carlisle checked his injuries and Esme tried to soothe him as the pain set in. Zach, Allie, and Drew arrived and Zach was shocked by the scene in front of him.

"What happened," asked Zach. Colt was crouched defensively beside Evan, his gaze and fury locked on Josh. Carlisle and Esme were tending to Evan and Seth was standing by Josh, who was still in wolf form. Zach ran over to his best friend and noticed he was still shaking a bit. Colt howled and barked at Josh, which made Josh shake even more. Seth stepped in front of Josh, but Josh tried to nudge him out of the way.

"Josh, stop it or I will stop you," warned Zach and Josh managed to calm down enough to phase back into human form. Allie ran over to her mate and Zach noticed the concern etched onto her face.

"Evan is really hurt," she whispered to Zach and Josh gulped as he slowly regained composure.

"I didn't mean to…..I wasn't trying to hurt him," defended Josh as he walked toward the creek. Colt barked even more at him and Sam stepped in front of Josh.

"I would keep my distance right now. I can control Colt, but his rage is at an all-time high. Just give him a minute," suggested Sam.

"I didn't want any of this to happen," pleaded Josh and Sam slowly nodded.

"None of us ever do when we lose control," said Sam as Colt continued to howl.

"Colt, enough, turn back into human form now! Phasing hasn't helped anything," commanded Sam and Colt begrudgingly phased back. The sounds of a revving engine and wheels racing down the road at top speeds could be heard as Rosalie's red BMW roared toward them. The wheels screeched to a halt and Leah, Jacob, Rosalie, and Emmett ran over to their sons.

"Are you okay," asked Leah as she hugged Josh and he silently nodded as tears filled his eyes. Sam walked over to Leah and Jacob and crossed his arms.

"Josh isn't the one that got hurt. Care to explain to your parents what you did," challenged Sam as Josh looked down. Leah glared at Sam, but Jacob stopped her before she could respond to the alpha.

"Leah, look," said Jacob as he pointed down to the creek. Rosalie was at Carlisle's side instantly.

"How bad is it," she asked and Carlisle placed his jacket over Evan's trembling torso.

"His body is trying to regenerate, but it is going to take time. His right arm is shattered and he has some broken ribs. He cracked his right femur as well. I won't be able to reset any of the bones until they heal more," informed Carlisle. Jacob shook his head in disappointment.

"How the hell did this happen," shouted Jacob and Josh took in a shaky breath.

"Things just spiraled. I don't know," whispered Josh as he wiped a stray tear from his cheek.

"Go home," demanded Jacob and Josh quickly phased to run home. Rosalie looked up at her mate.

"Em," she said and Emmett nodded as he saw her look of concern.

"Zach, Allie, you two should follow Josh home. Make sure you all stay out of trouble and away from the pack," instructed Emmett and Zach nodded.

"Got it, dad," said Zach before darting away with his mate. Sam crouched down by Evan, who winced in pain.

"Callista, I have to get to her. I told her I would be back in a couple of hours," Evan wheezed out and Esme stroked his hair.

"Don't try to speak. It will only make it hurt more. We will make sure Callista is notified," assured Esme.

"Call Alice and have Connell meet us here. We need to get him to the house in Forks. We still have backup resources there. The collision shattered his arm. I am concerned about it healing improperly. His body is burning up to try to heal itself. He needs immediate attention," informed Carlisle. Rosalie's phone rang and she gritted her teeth as she answered.

"We didn't get here in time. Evan is hurt badly. What took you so long and where are you?"

"Visions are just now starting to align. I wish I could have seen it sooner, but we have a big problem now, Rose." Rosalie glanced down at Evan as he closed his eyes.

"Yes, I am aware. I don't need visions to know what comes next."

"We are trying to come up with a plan. We will be there soon though," said Alice and Rosalie cursed under her breath as she hung up. She walked over to Leah.

"You, Jake, Em, Seth, and Kaya need to go to your house and protect the boys," informed Rosalie and Leah's eyes widened.

"Wait, protect them from what? The pack isn't going to attack. Sam wouldn't allow it."

"I am not worried about the pack," whispered Rosalie and Emmett growled.

"Damn it. I guess now we have to worry about the imprint factor yet again," said Emmett, but Rosalie shook her head.

"Actually, Em, we can blame our supernatural instincts for this one. Evan may see her as his imprint, but she sees him as her mate."

"And the mate bond won't allow this to fly," agreed Emmett.

"Whoa, what are you talking about here? Callista," questioned Leah.

"Josh didn't just attack a member of the pack. He attacked a vampire's mate and she is going to want revenge as soon as she finds out," explained Rosalie.

"Okay, so why aren't you coming with us? Since when do you not include yourself in protecting the boys," asked Leah as Carlisle approached.

"Because she knows I will need her help with Evan. I called Edward as well," informed Carlisle.

"Besides, my baby boy can protect all of you if needed and the rest of the family will be here soon. They are trying to find a way to handle this without it escalating," said Rosalie and Emmett kissed her.

"Call if need me," said Emmett with a wink and she nodded.

"Of course," she assured as she handed him the keys to her car. Colt shook his head as Emmett, Jacob, Leah, Seth, and Kaya departed.

"We can't just let all of them leave and go on like nothing happened here," shouted Colt and Sam gave him a warning look.

"Colt, calm down," warned Sam.

"Don't tell me to calm down when my best friend is laying in a creek! In the old pack, you would have never let this happen. What happened to protecting your own," argued Colt and Drew smirked.

"You should have thought about that before telling Josh instead of giving Evan a chance to on his own terms. You need to accept your role in this, just like Josh does. There will be no more violence from our pack tonight though. Understand," ordered Drew and Colt glared at his alpha and beta.

"I will deal with the fallout from betraying my best friend. I deserve that, but Josh isn't getting away with this. The others will feel the same and you know it."

"True, but they also trust me to handle this. They are waiting for you at your house. Go cool off because if you go anywhere near the Black residence tonight, you will deal with me," warned Drew. Colt gave a curt nod before phasing and running home. Sam clapped Drew on the back.

"You did well handling that and not letting your anger get the best of you. I know you are upset about this," said Sam.

"Too many of our romantic relationships are handled with violence. I am pissed that Josh did this to Evan, but I also know that fueling the rage on either side isn't going to help." Connell and Tia appeared and she gasped when she saw Evan.

"The others are coming up with a course of action or at least trying to. Dealing with a mate will not be easy," informed Connell as he knelt down by Evan. Tia nodded in agreement.

"I don't know what I would do if anyone did this to you," confessed Tia and Carlisle checked Evan over once again.

"Alright, I have done all I can for him to make the trip to the house comfortable, but he needs a morphine drip. It is going to be a long night," informed Carlisle and Rosalie whispered to Esme.

"Embry and Faye should be notified. Maybe you should be there for moral support since you know the situation the best," suggested Rosalie.

"Yes, that is a good idea. Sam, I am sure you want to be there for Embry right now. I will go with you. I feel responsible for Evan. Besides, there isn't much I can do for him until Carlisle finishes up," said Esme.

"I'll drive," suggested Sam and Esme followed him over to his truck, knowing it would be a difficult conversation to have with Evan's mother, a woman that hated all things supernatural.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Natalie smiled when she saw Josh emerge from the forest, but her smile faded when she realized he was naked.

"Did you phase unexpectedly," she asked and he sighed.

"Yea, very unexpectedly."

"Where have you been? What happened? I was waiting for you after my shower, but figured you had to go see the pack or something. Did something happen with Colt? I know you two have clashed in the past."

"It wasn't Colt. Well, not really. It was Evan," he admitted and she frowned in confusion.

"Wait, I thought you liked Evan. Are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you," she asked as she ran her hands over his chest.

"No, I am not hurt, but Evan is. I don't know what happened. I just saw red and I wasn't thinking. I was just lashing out and the next thing I know, he is on the ground in a heap. This is bad, Nat. His arm is really messed up. He hates me and so does the pack," he said as tears filled his eyes again. She pulled him in for a hug and he sobbed as he replayed the turn of events in his head. Zach and Allie arrived and Zach marched over to Josh.

"How could you do that to Evan," asked Zach and Allie placed a hand on her mate's heaving chest.

"Zach, calm down. I am sure Josh had a good reason," tried Allie as Josh looked down.

"It just happened. I got pissed and we were yelling at each other. Evan attacked me first, but I could have stopped it. I should have stopped it."

"Look J, you are my best friend and I will stand by you through anything, but this is messed up! Colt, I can understand. The guy has had it out for us since the beginning, but Evan? Oh, grandma is going to be pissed," said Zach as his eyes widened.

"I know, alright? I don't need you to remind me," shouted Josh.

"You just attacked one of her favorite people! Obviously he isn't her favorite. That's me, but still," shrieked Zach and Natalie stepped in between them.

"Alright, enough piling on, Zach. How about you two go inside while I speak with my mate," suggested Natalie and Allie grabbed Zach's hand.

"Come on," she urged and Zach followed his mate inside.

"Z is right though. I really screwed up," said Josh and Natalie stroked his hair.

"Okay, start from the beginning. How did this happen?"

"When Colt was here, he told me that Callista is making Evan sneak around with her."

"How can she make him do that? I didn't think Callista had a power. She sure as hell didn't use it when I was fighting her." Emmett, Jacob, and Leah pulled into the driveway and Josh groaned as his mother marched over to him.

"She doesn't have one and she can't make him do anything, which is why Joshua William Black, you are in big trouble," yelled Leah and Josh winced. Jacob smiled sympathetically at Natalie.

"Can we have a moment with our son please," asked Jacob. Emmett motioned for Zach and Allie to follow him as they walked out of the house.

"Alright you three, let's catch up with Seth and Kaya. They are running patrols," instructed Emmett and Natalie kissed Josh's cheek.

"Good luck," she whispered before following Emmett, Zach, and Allie toward the forest and Leah smirked.

"Oh, you are going to need it. What the hell were you thinking," shouted Leah.

"Mom, this isn't my fault. Callista is the one still trying to use and manipulate people. She doesn't care who she hurts. This is what she does. She uses her body to get what she wants and she wants the power and connections of our family and the Cullens. She did it to me and now Evan."

"That is such a copout! I thought I raised you better than that," scolded Leah.

"You know her history, mom!"

"I know that you were so desperate to find a mate that you thought with a certain body part, but not your head. Even if she is playing with Evan's emotions, that doesn't explain why your first response was to shatter his arm into a million pieces!"

"Things got out of hand. I don't know what happened. One second we are arguing and the next, I was throwing him," admitted Josh and Jacob sighed.

"I know what happened because it happens with wolves all the time. You lost your cool and it escalated. It can escalate so quickly. It is like your body is on fire and you can't control it. Every issue you have ever had, every insecurity, it boils to the surface and you are so angry. You want it all to go away, but it is like you blink and someone is hurt. I get it, Josh, but that doesn't make it okay. You attacked a friend tonight over a woman," reminded Jacob.

"And now you are blaming that woman for what you did. Maybe Callista is a seductress. She certainly has a way of pressing my buttons, so I understand the urge to fight, but you have to take responsibility for what you did. Callista was not there tonight. You were," said Leah as she cupped her son's cheek and he slowly nodded, knowing that his mother was right.

Sam could feel his dread heighten as he and Esme walked onto the porch of Embry and Faye's home. Embry hurried to the door and he gulped when he saw Sam's expression.

"I knew something was going to happen. It always does with the pack. Is Evan okay," asked Embry and Esme winced as Faye came to the door.

"Where is Evan," asked Faye and Sam cleared his throat.

"There was an incident. He is going to be okay, but he is injured pretty badly. Carlisle is tending to him now," confessed Sam and Faye gasped.

"Oh my God, what happened? Where is my son? Is he at the hospital? Tell me," demanded Faye. Sam glanced over at Esme, who spoke up.

"It wouldn't be best for him to be at a hospital. They wouldn't know how to deal with his anatomy. His ability to rapidly heal is a benefit, but it has to be handled cautiously. He broke his arm and some ribs, but you know Carlisle is the best. Evan will be okay," assured Esme.

"This is why I never wanted him involved with these people, Embry!"

"Faye, please try to calm down. I am worried too, but…." Faye ignored her husband as she turned her anger toward Esme.

"I know you care about my son. You have made it perfectly clear that you want him to be a part of your family, but you need to go meddle with your own kids that you condemned to that life," shouted Faye.

"Faye, stop! You are angry and you know I get it, but standing here and hurling insults at Esme isn't going to make Evan better. Go get ready so we can check on our son," suggested Embry and Faye glared at Esme, but headed back inside.

"I am sorry about that," said Embry and Esme waved him off.

"Her son is hurt and I am an easy target. I get it," replied Esme.

"Thanks for understanding. We will be right out," said Embry and Sam smiled sympathetically at Esme.

"You didn't deserve that. Evan is in my pack and my responsibility. I knew she would lash out, but I thought it would be at me. She has a temper. It is ironic that even with the gene, Embry is the calm one," teased Sam and Esme giggled.

"Well, unfortunately, Faye is the least of our worries."

"Right, Callista, I could sense the change in Evan, but I had no clue it was because of her."

"She isn't like our family, Sam. She won't follow the treaty or care about the tribe. She will try to kill anyone that gets in her way once she finds out about Evan, human or not."

"Well, we have been in worse scenarios," he reminded and she winked at him.

"True and at least this time we are on the same side, alpha. That is always nice." He chuckled.

"I am never going to live that one down, am I?"

"Which one," she teased and he guffawed.

"Hey, I am not taking credit for the first time. Jacob started all of that," he defended and Esme laughed at his exasperated expression.

By the time Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Nahuel, Alice, and Jasper arrived with Connell and Tia, the Cullen House in Forks was in a frenzy. Connell cringed as he heard Faye inside screaming at her husband for not telling her about Callista.

"That's the muppet that isn't a fan of vampires, correct? Maybe we will stay out here," suggested Connell and Alice nudged him.

"Be nice, she is just overwhelmed. It must be difficult to be a human around so many supernatural beings," defended Alice.

"But she married a pup. Did she not expect to have a pup," asked Connell and Edward chuckled.

"I wouldn't call them that in front of her. In fact, maybe you should stay out here until things cool down. Your mouth tends to get you in trouble," said Edward and Connell jutted his chin out.

"Does not, I will be just fine. Come on, Tia," said Connell as he entered the house and Alice shook her head in amusement. Renesmee and Nahuel were greeted by Kaya and Seth when they entered the house and the four of them whispered about everything that was going on. Edward stopped Bella before she could go upstairs to check on Evan.

"What's wrong," she questioned and Edward glanced at Alice.

"Let's just give Carlisle a moment. He is finishing up," he said cryptically and Bella eyed him suspiciously, but agreed.

Carlisle watched his mate as she stroked Evan's hair. She scanned over Evan's face to make sure he was asleep.

"Is he in any pain," she asked and Carlisle shook his head.

"No, the morphine has kicked in. We should let him get his rest. I will be in the study," said Carlisle before exiting and she frowned in confusion at his demeanor. She followed her husband into the study, sensing his anger.

"What is it," she questioned as she closed the door and walked over to him.

"You have no clue how much danger you could have been in tonight. You should have told me the severity of the situation," he whispered.

"No one could have guessed this would have happened."

"Esme, they are wolves. Everyone could have guessed this would have happened. What if Evan phased when Colt first challenged him in front of you? You would have tried to stop their fighting and could have ended up harmed by one of them." Esme wrapped her arms around him and he relaxed under her touch as she pulled him closer.

"My love, I am not a novice. I can defend myself if need be, but I made sure it did not come to that."

"You are my mate. It doesn't matter if you can defend yourself. I don't like that you were in a position to have to. You know I hate violence, but when we fight, we fight together for a reason. Do you really not know what would happen to me or this family if anything happened to you," he asked as he gazed lovingly into her eyes and she smiled.

"You are right and I am sorry. I was thinking about Evan's happiness, but I still should have kept you informed once the situation grew tense."

"I want Evan to be happy as well. I wish it did not have to come to this," said Carlisle as he hugged her. Alice, Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, Connell, and Tia entered the study and Esme smiled warmly at them. Alice hugged her mother.

"I feel horrible about this. By the time I started to piece it together, it was too late. I know you are fine, but I still hate that you were even near Colt when he lost his temper. Renesmee, Nahuel, Seth, and Kaya agreed to go patrol just in case Callista comes looking for Evan," explained Alice.

"The pack is going to want to see Evan when he wakes up," added Edward.

"Leah and Jake have arrived with Josh and Natalie. Zach and Allie are downstairs with them. I think they should stay close until all of this is resolved," said Rosalie.

"How exactly can this get resolved? Callista is going to be furious and her previous relationship with Josh will add to it," said Bella and Connell nodded in agreement.

"May I make a suggestion? I encountered issues with mates during my time with The Guard. It is important to isolate the mate and try to reason with them in this case. If Evan was dead….."

"Please do not even entertain that thought," said Esme and Connell bowed his head.

"I apologize. I just meant that in other cases, when a mate is killed, the only way to stop their mate from seeking revenge is to end them. In this case, Callista should be able to see reason as long as she is calmed down before she encounters Josh," explained Connell.

"Then it is a good thing we are here. Connell should be able to isolate her effortlessly," added Tia and Jasper nodded.

"We should also think about the humans in the region. She is going to come for Evan if she senses any danger. The mate bond will call to her soon and if she cannot find him, she will not care who is in her way. She will do whatever it takes to get to him," informed Jasper.

"We need to lure her away from town. Evan is stable enough to transport to the island," agreed Carlisle.

"Faye is an emotional wreck at the moment. She isn't going to let Evan out of her sight and I doubt she is going to let us take him out of town," warned Jasper.

"I should speak with her," suggested Esme, but Carlisle quickly shook his head.

"My love, I know you mean well, but she is not in the right mindset…."

"Carlisle, we are both mothers. I can get through to her," assured Esme. Carlisle glanced at Edward and Alice. They both nodded and Carlisle hugged his wife.

"Fine," he conceded and Esme kissed him sweetly before going to speak with Faye.

Faye placed her face in her hands as she sat outside on the front porch. Embry decided to give her some space while she calmed her nerves. She heard the front door open and was surprised to see Esme join her on the porch swing. Faye shook her head in disbelief.

"How did any of this even happen? Wolves shouldn't even be able to imprint on vampires. They have sworn to protect their land from them, but they can fall in love with one?"

"Imprinting has always been complicated and I will admit that I still do not truly understand it. When Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, I was baffled. Then Seth imprinted on Kaya and I assumed it was not nearly as selective as once believed."

"He didn't even tell me though. I am his mother and you knew before I did. What does that say about the way he sees me? I don't even know why I am asking you. You probably think I am horrible," grumbled Faye.

"We have been over this before. I understand where you are coming from. I am a vampire and I still am caught off guard by the predicaments my family finds itself in. Evan didn't want anyone to know. He was surprised by how it happened and he didn't want to tell anyone for sure until he knew what to expect. I was there when it happened."

"Of course you were," smirked Faye and Esme sighed.

"Your jealousy and pride are the least of my concerns right now. Evan is hurt and I will always feel responsible for him. I will not apologize for trying to make sure he is happy, but I am sorry you were blindsided by all of this. No mother deserves that, but we have a bigger problem to deal with."

"My son is burning up at temperatures that could kill most people because he needs to regenerate after another wolf attacked him. What could possibly be more of a concern than that?"

"Your future daughter-in-law," quipped Esme in a matter of fact tone. Emmett and Zach's booming laughs echoed through the house. Faye's jaw dropped, but no words would follow. She was speechless and Esme smiled sheepishly.

"I apologize. It seems one of my sons' senses of humor is rubbing off on me. He makes inappropriate jokes when things are too tense."

"Emmett, right? Evan thinks he is a cool dad, which irked Embry at first. I know a lot about your family. Evan talks about all of you, especially you. You are the mother he has always wanted."

"That isn't true."

"I want to be okay with all of this. It may not seem like it, but I am trying. It just seems like when I think I have a handle on something, another twist occurs. I just started to accept that he is a wolf and now he has imprinted. I don't know how to handle all of this."

"You don't have to handle all of it. You just have to be his mother. That is all he wants. He loves you very much."

"I loved him since the day I found out Embry and I were going to have him. He is the best part of me, even though at times I don't show it very well. How do you deal with all of this?"

"I have centuries of practice and a memory that, while faded, will always linger in my heart. I know what it is like to lose a child, so I promised myself that I would make the most of it when given the chance to have a big family. It is bigger than I could have ever imagined and I am amazed by how wonderful each and every member of it is. Evan will always have a place in this family, but he will always be your son. You have raised an amazing young man."

"He is pretty amazing, isn't he," said Faye with a smile and Esme nodded.

"Yes, which is why he has won Callista's heart."

"Callista, how am I supposed to deal with her? Where is she from? How old is she? Is she older than me?" Esme giggled.

"No, she is older than Evan, but not your age. In her mind, they are mates and when she finds out that her mate is hurt, she will want revenge. She will try to kill Josh and that will not be allowed. At the same time, we can't allow for harm to come to her as well because that would hurt Evan."

"It all sounds very complicated."

"It is," agreed Esme.

"Is your life always this complicated?"

"Yes, but in my defense, the Quileute side of the supernatural world is making this more complicated than my side. Imprinting is still a bit out of my realm," admitted Esme.

"Well, imprinting is something I have experience with. Embry and I met at a party that one of my friends hosted. The moment our eyes met, I knew he was the one. I dismissed it as what you see in romantic movies, but it was way too intense to just be that. I fell in love and I was happy to start a life with him. I never wanted my son to have to go through this though."

"True, but Evan is happy and as mothers, we always want is best for our children."

"And this Callista woman is what is best for him," questioned Faye and Esme sighed as she nodded.

"You tell me. You were imprinted on. You already have that in common with her," teased Esme.

"So, what happens now? I have no clue what to do and don't even know if I can help."

"Well, then let me help. When you feel like you are out of your realm, let me help when I can," suggested Esme and Faye was silent for a moment. She took in a deep breath and turned to Esme.

"Esme, an argument over a woman has resulted in my son having to regenerate his body to heal and now that woman is ready to go on a rampage to avenge him. I think I am out of my realm and could use your help."

"I will make sure it is taken care of," promised Esme and Faye sighed in relief.

"Thank you. He is my only child and I want to make sure he is always safe." Esme stood up and smiled at Faye.

"I will make sure this is handled and you can start planning the wedding," said Esme and Faye threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Seriously," asked Faye as Emmett and Zach laughed inside the house. Esme giggled and winked at her.

"Kidding, just kidding," giggled Esme as she went back inside and Embry came outside to check on his wife. Faye hugged him and Embry held her close as they waited for Evan to wake up.

Esme entered the study where Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, Connell, and Tia were waiting for her. Alice clapped happily.

"Carlisle, Rosalie, and Emmett are keeping an eye on Evan while we carry out the plan. If I wouldn't have seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. Wait, Connell, go get Renesmee and Nahuel, please," said Alice and Connell disappeared from the room. He returned with Renesmee and Nahuel, who were both frowning in confusion.

"A simple hello would be nice before you snatch people," warned Nahuel and Connell shrugged.

"You're fine," said Connell as Renesmee and Nahuel rolled their eyes. Alice clapped even more.

"Okay, Esme, now, you can say it," said Alice and Edward shook his head in amusement at his sister.

"While technically, it does not involve us, we must intervene to make sure things do not get out of hand. For that reason, I am trusting that Alice and Edward know my wishes and will help resolve this matter while the rest of us tend to Evan," informed Esme.

"Now, say it, say the words please, oh, please, Esme, say it," begged Alice and Esme smiled at her daughter.

"Alice, by all means, go meddle," instructed Esme and Alice squealed with delight as she skipped around the room.

"Within reason," added Esme and Edward chuckled.

"You probably should have led with that," teased Edward and Esme grabbed Alice's hand.

"Alice, within reason," warned Esme and Alice happily nodded.

"Of course, Esme," giggled Alice before kissing Esme's cheek.

"Alright, Connell, we need to head to Sequim to stop this crazed mate from terrorizing Forks and La Push," announced Alice and Renesmee's eyes widened.

"We, why did she just say we," asked Renesmee and Nahuel gulped.

"Can we opt out of this scenario if….." Alice interrupted Nahuel.

"Nonsense, it is part of the plan! Let's go, Connell," instructed Alice and Connell gave a nod.

"Wait, what plan, where are…" Before Renesmee could finish, she was in a wooden cabin. Callista dropped the book she was reading and crouched down defensively in the living room as they turned to face her. Alice threw up her hands in frustration.

"I mean really, Connell! What part of knocking is proper etiquette do you not understand? I meant outside of the cabin," scolded Alice, but Connell shook his head.

"You didn't clarify and I am not a mind reader. That is Edward's department, you little leprechaun!"

"Um, Alice," tried Edward, but she ignored him.

"I hate when you call me that," shouted Alice.

"Alice," tried Bella.

"And I hate when you order me around," argued Connell. Callista gritted her teeth.

"Why are you here? How did you even know I was here? Oh no, it's Evan. What has happened to Evan," panicked Callista.

"When I was in The Guard, I didn't have to worry about this lack of planning. Alexander was a great leader," argued Connell and Tia groaned.

"Can we not do this right now," asked Tia and Nahuel nudged Jasper as Callista let out a hiss.

"He is hurt, isn't he? Who did it? I will kill them," shrieked Callista.

"Do something, Jasper," whispered Nahuel and Jasper gulped.

"I am trying, but subduing a mate is a bit more difficult. If I hit her full force, she will be even more enraged once everything is said and done," whispered Jasper.

"Oh this plan is just amazing," grumbled Bella as Callista stalked toward them.

"If any of you had anything to do with…" Before she could finish, Renesmee touched her temple and flooded her mind with images. Callista crumbled to the ground and Renesmee shrugged.

"I guess that's why we were needed," said Renesmee to Nahuel and he kissed her adoringly. Alice clapped happily.

"It is all working out," announced Alice and Bella looked at her sister incredulously.

"So this was your plan from the beginning? Invade her privacy, infuriate her, and then have my daughter bombard her mind," asked Bella and Alice shrugged.

"Oh no, I only planned Renesmee's part. The rest was just fun," she confessed and Nahuel rolled his eyes.

"Unbelievable," said Nahuel.

"Alright, let's head to the island," instructed Alice and Connell jutted his chin out.

"I don't remember you asking nicely," said Connell and everyone groaned.

"Can we do this after we kidnap Evan's imprint and probably break a hundred laws," asked Bella and Connell thought for a moment.

"Actually, the only laws we are bound by are enforced by the Volturi and I distinctly remember them not including kidnapping. I checked once. As long as the kidnapping doesn't include exposing your supernatural side to a human, all is well," informed Connell.

"That seems like a really big loophole," said Nahuel and Connell shrugged.

"It has kept me out of trouble plenty of times, if I do say so myself," laughed Connell and everyone but Tia eyed him skeptically. Tia giggled at her mate and Renesmee laughed nervously.

"Oh, I get it. He was joking," said Renesmee, but Tia shook her head.

"You would think so, but no. Anyways, come on, Connell. She is starting to regain composure," urged Tia and Connell teleported them to the island. Renesmee and Nahuel sighed in relief as they realized they were on the dock and Alice clapped.

"Mission accomplished," announced Alice.

"Was it," asked Bella and Alice nudged her. Connell patted Renesmee on the back.

"Good work, wee one's niece," he complimented. Renesmee and Nahuel shook their heads in amusement.

"And they wonder why we hide out in our cottage," whispered Renesmee as Nahuel nodded in agreement.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Josh paced back and forth as he anxiously waited for Alice to tell him everything was resolved with Callista. He was currently hiding out in the game room of Zach and Allie's cottage and trying not to think about the enraged mate that was a few houses away from him at the moment. Natalie entered the room with a comforting smile and he sighed in relief when she hugged him.

"Good, at least you aren't mad at me. I don't think I could handle that right now," he confessed and she frowned in confusion as she stroked his hair.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"For freaking out on Evan for dating Callista."

"Should I be mad about that? Is she a threat to our relationship," she asked and he beamed with happiness as he shook his head.

"Never and she never will be. I am so in love with you, Nat. What happened with Evan wasn't about me wanting to be with Callista."

"The thought did cross my mind at first and I felt an irrational jealousy, but I remembered that you spend every moment you can with me. Suddenly, I didn't feel so jealous. I actually felt smug. I trust you, Josh."

"Good because I love you so much. All of this was a reminder that I have to be careful at all times though. It was so easy to give in to my anger and let things spiral out of control. I told myself after the Callista stuff in Italy that I had grown up. I was too mature for all that now, but I realize that I was too scared to admit to myself that I still have a lot of growing up to do."

"It isn't something that will happen overnight. It is the same thing I tell myself about opening up to you and getting used to being with someone. I spent years guarding my heart, protecting myself from others, and yet with one look from you, all of that changed. It is terrifying, but amazing all at once. I still have a lot to learn about being a mate, but I already know that you are worth it, which is also why I decided to not let my jealousy get the best of me when it comes to Callista."

"Well good because I think I have been violent enough for the both of us lately. I can't believe I hurt Evan."

"Not to sound insensitive, but he can heal. You didn't do any permanent damage, so why are you beating yourself up about this? It is almost as if it is about more than just Evan and…" She stopped when he sighed.

"Maybe it is," he admitted.

"Wow, maybe I am getting good at this mate thing," she teased and he smiled lovingly at her.

"You are amazing at this mate thing."

"Then tell me what's wrong?"

"Hurting Evan is bad enough, but wolves have a history of accidentally harming the ones they love. My dad did it, Sam did, and I can't bear the idea of that happening to you."

"Lucky for you I am pretty indestructible."

"That's not funny, Nat. I never want you to be afraid of me," he confessed.

"What do you think I see when I look at you," she asked and he shrugged.

"I don't know," he mumbled. His eyes widened when she took a step back from him and used her power to morph into his form right before his eyes.

"Whoa, it's like looking in a mirror, but cooler….and a bit stranger," he chuckled and she smiled at him.

"This is what I see," she informed as she pretended to show off his muscles, ran a hand through his hair, and did his and Zach's secret handshake.

"Hey, you aren't supposed to know that," he warned and she giggled as she morphed back into her original self.

"You probably shouldn't do it in front of everyone all the time if you don't want people to know what it is. That is what I see, Josh. I see you, smiling, laughing, and being yourself. I see the man, not the wolf," she assured and he tenderly kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered and she winked at him.

"You better because I have fallen completely in love with you." She kissed him again and he grinned from ear to ear.

"You know what I just realized when you showed me that?"

"That I have an amazing power?"

"No…well yes…but I am hot stuff. My hair is great. I have a nice smile and…." He shrieked as she ruffled his hair and she burst with laughter. He scowled at her and pouted as she continued to laugh.

"Oh my God, Allie is right. That is the quickest way to shut you up," she laughed and he guffawed.

"You are my mate. You don't get to pick on me!"

"Your mate, I love it when you call me that," she admitted as she hugged him and he kissed the top of her head.

"You are my mate and I know we will be together for eternity. I did learn something from my relationship with Callista. I went way too fast and that is my fault, but in our relationship, I want us to go slower. I want to make sure you always know that everything I do is because I am deeply in love with you, not because of my hormones or wolfy gene."

"Don't be so hard on the wolfy gene. After all, it is why you have all that alphaness running through you," she teased and he nodded with a big grin.

"Good point," he agreed as he hugged her.

"Feel better," she asked.

"Yes, thank you, and I will feel even better if Evan forgives me. I really hope he does."

"He will because he knows your heart."

"I hope you are right," he confessed as he held her close to him.

Callista paced around the shore as she surveyed her surroundings. Renesmee and Nahuel went to get out of dodge, leaving Alice, Jasper, Connell, Tia, Edward, and Bella to deal with the enraged mate. Connell waved awkwardly at her and she gritted her teeth.

"Are you people insane? I don't care how powerful or compassionate the rest of the vampire world thinks you are. The Volturi cannot allow you to dictate people's lives like this," she shrieked.

"The rest of the vampire world thinks we are powerful," asked Emmett as he strolled toward the shore to see everything unfold.

"I like that they think we are compassionate," admitted Bella.

"For the record, dictate is a really harsh word. I prefer meddle, intervene, assist…." Rattled off Alice and Callista glared at them.

"Like I said, insane! I am tired of playing these games. Where is Evan," she demanded and Alice smiled as Esme appeared. Callista sighed in relief.

"Finally, someone that isn't out to harm me. Esme, where is Evan? These people brought me here against my will!"

"I know, I asked them to, but it is for a good reason. Evan was harmed…."

"How? By who," interrogated Callista and Esme glanced over at Edward, who shrugged.

"Might as well," agreed Edward as he read her thoughts.

"There is no easy way to say it and if it was my mate, I would want the complete truth, so here it is. Colt found out about you and Evan. He told Josh and when they confronted Evan, tempers flared and Evan ended up hurt."

"Josh and Colt hurt Evan," questioned Callista.

"Josh lost his temper and…."

"He harmed my mate," she asked and Esme slowly nodded.

"Yes, but…." Before Esme could finish, Callista hurdled over Connell and darted past the shore in search of Josh.

"Go get her," shrieked Alice as she slapped at Connell's arm. He teleported off the shore and returned with Callista firmly in his grasp. She tried to bite Connell and he quickly released her.

"I knew she would be a biter," he said as he jumped away from her and Tia let out a low hiss.

"Watch it," warned Tia and Callista hissed back at her.

"So you get to be mad at me for defending myself against your mate, but I can't be mad when someone actually attacks mine," challenged Callista and Tia gave a curt nod.

"Point taken, but watch it," conceded Tia. Esme stepped in front of Callista to get her attention.

"Evan is upstairs in the main house if you want to….." Callista blurred toward the house and allowed her senses to take over so she could track her mate. She gasped when she saw Evan resting in bed with Carlisle, Embry, and Faye beside him. Faye jumped and gasped when she saw Callista and the two women stared silently at each other. Esme darted into the room and noticed their exchange.

"Carlisle, Embry, Faye, how about we give Callista and Evan a moment alone," suggested Esme and Faye begrudgingly nodded as she exited the room. She watched Callista sit down beside the bed and slip her hand into Evan's before Embry closed the door.

"Are you sure we can trust her," questioned Faye and Esme gave her a sly smile.

"I have kept my eye on her, but yes. I even had Edward, Jasper, and Alice check up on her."

"How," asked Faye.

"Edward read her thoughts to make sure her intentions were true. Jasper confirmed that her emotional bond to Evan is like that of a mate and Alice checked their future together to make sure Callista was in it for the long run. Oh, I also had my dear friend Didyme run an extensive background check on her. She is trustworthy," promised Esme and Faye gave her an appreciative nod.

"Nice," commended Faye as they walked downstairs.

Callista sighed in relief when Evan began to wake up. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath until his eyes opened. He groggily smiled at her and cleared his throat. She grabbed a cup of water from his bedside and held it to his lips. Evan thirstily drank before resting back on his pillow.

"Hey, so I am guessing they told you what happened," he asked and she gritted her teeth.

"I knew I should have never let you leave the cabin. I had a bad feeling and I should have followed my instincts."

"I am okay. It just fell apart quicker than I anticipated. I knew Josh would be angry, but not like that."

"Evan, this is not okay. I want you to come back to the cabin with me. I can take care of you and keep you safe."

"You don't have to protect me from them," he assured as she gently touched his arm.

"You are burning up right now. You are much hotter than usual."

"It happens when my body needs to regenerate. That feels so good, your touch," he informed and she tenderly caressed his arms and chest.

"Come back with me," she pleaded and he nodded.

"I will, but only after all of this is settled. I know you are freaking out. I can tell, but I don't want any more fighting, okay? I need to speak with Josh."

"I am not letting him go anywhere near you."

"He is my friend….."

"Evan, he hurt you and Colt betrayed you. Why aren't you furious?"

"Because I attacked Josh first," he confessed and she was surprised by the admission.

"Really, why?"

"I didn't like what he was saying about you and I started shaking. Before I knew it, we were fighting and I totally forgot how strong Josh is. Colt tried to help me, but Josh kicked our butts. Look, things happened that shouldn't have and I think Josh and I both know that. I am not innocent in all of this. I chose to keep our relationship from him…."

"Because you knew he would act like a maniac and you were right," she argued.

"That isn't why I did it," he confessed.

"I don't understand."

"I kept you away from the pack and Josh because I was worried you wouldn't like me as much when you saw all my cool friends. I was jealous of the night you and Josh had and was afraid you would want him more than me."

"That is ridiculous."

"You kept saying you wanted to just be friends and the only reason we met is because you came to the island for Josh."

"Evan, I didn't say I wanted to just be friends because I wanted Josh back. I am over him and what we had was not love. I said I wanted to be friends because I was scared too. I told myself after Maksim that I would never let someone control me again and yet you have this power over me. I am drawn to you and it scares me. I would die for you, Evan. I have told you more about my life than anyone else, ever. So please trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about." She giggled as he grinned from ear to ear.

"Good because I am so in love with you and I will definitely take you up on that trip to the cabin. I need to resolve some issues here first though. Will you wait for me?"

"Always," she vowed and kissed his forehead.

"I am glad you are here," he whispered as his eyelids got heavy.

"Me too, now rest. I will be here when you wake up." He nodded and fell back asleep as she stroked his hair. She waited a few minutes to make sure he was deep in slumber before darting from the room. She slipped out the back door of the house and Alice rolled her eyes as she and Jasper followed Callista toward Zach and Allie's cottage.

"Does she really think she can sneak by me? If she wasn't so on edge right now, I would smugly assure her that I already alerted everyone that she was heading this way, but with her tension at an all-time high, I better not," conceded Alice as Jasper chuckled. Callista stopped in front Zach and Allie's cottage and called to Josh.

"I know you are in there and we need to talk, now," she demanded. Josh was about to open the door, but Natalie stopped him.

"You don't have to go out there. She is pissed, but you don't owe her anything," said Natalie.

"Actually, I think I do," replied Josh as he walked outside. Natalie was right beside him and his parents stood on the porch to keep an eye on things, along with Rosalie, Emmett, Zach, Allie, Seth, and Kaya.

"Callista, I…"

"Good, the whole gang is here. I don't want to have to repeat myself, so just listen. I don't care if any of you have an issue with me being with Evan. It is none of your damn business. Evan doesn't need your permission and I sure as hell don't. However, in the future, if you have an issue, instead of being a coward and taking out your frustrations on my mate, you can come speak with me. I understand that you are Joshua Black of the powerful Black wolf pack, but you are still just a wolf and I am still a vampire. If you ever harm my mate again, I will kill you and there isn't a Cullen, a Volturi guard, or a wolf that will stop me," threatened Callista and Natalie took a step toward her. Josh glanced back and forth at his mate and Callista as they stared each other down.

"Don't get cocky and forget what happened last time," warned Natalie and Callista smirked.

"I know what your power is and this time you won't catch me off guard. Besides, last time, I was wrong and I can admit that. I remember how enraged you were that day all because I was flirting with your mate. Now just imagine how enraged I am now. Your mate attacked mine just for being with me and shattered his arm. You may be able to look like Zachary Cullen, but you aren't him. This time, I will take my chances," challenged Callista as Josh pulled Natalie back toward him.

"We will call this time a draw, but don't make it a habit of threatening my mate," warned Natalie and Callista quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Keep your mate away from mine and it won't have to be," said Callista before heading back toward the main house to be with Evan. Natalie gritted her teeth.

"I can't stand her," growled Natalie and Allie smiled slyly at her as she wrapped an arm around her friend.

"Well your mate did hurl hers into a pile of sharp rocks and break several of his bones. I think the feeling is mutual," said Allie and Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Fine, we will call it even this time," conceded Natalie. Zach clapped Josh on the back and chuckled.

"Dude, you sure do know how to pick your battles. You managed to piss off your ex-girl….." He stopped when he saw Natalie glaring at him.

"Your ex-gorilla and the entire wolf pack, that is really impressive," laughed Zach.

"Thanks for the support in my time of need, Z," grumbled Josh.

"Hey, if you want my support, then stop attacking people. Evan is cool and I am pretty sure you are going to have to answer to my grandma about that too. You're probably on cookie probation for a while," teased Zach and Josh groaned. Rosalie gave her son a warning look.

"Stop teasing him. He feels badly enough," warned Rosalie and Zach shrugged.

"He injured one of her favorite people….other than me because I am her favorite. That's all I'm saying. Now, with the potential for an enraged mate to try to destroy J out of the way, who wants to play video games," bellowed Zach and Emmett pumped his fist.

"I go first," exclaimed Emmett as he followed his son inside and Rosalie shook her head with a smile.

"So much like his father," she giggled and followed her husband and son into the cottage. Leah and Jacob hugged their son.

"Are you okay," asked Jacob.

"Yea, I just need to go clear my head and then check on Evan. I still have a lot of groveling to do."

"Callista will be there with Evan," warned Leah.

"I know, but I think I owe it to him to venture into Hurricane Callista to show him how sorry I am. Nat, you should stay here though. You two can make things even tenser. I will be back," he explained and she begrudgingly agreed. Allie nudged her.

"That should be our new nickname for her, Hurricane Callista," teased Allie.

"She seems more like a typhoon to me," added Natalie as they walked back into the cottage.

Evan smiled and slowly opened his eyes when he heard his mother's humming. She smiled back at him.

"Hey, how are you feeling," she asked and he tried to lift his broken arm. He winced and sighed.

"It still hurts, but I will be okay. At least it is healing. Wait, where is Callista? She was here when I fell asleep," he said as he attempted to sit up in bed, but Faye stopped him.

"Don't worry, she will be back."

"She is really pissed, mom. I don't want her to do something she will regret later because she is trying to protect me."

"I am sure she will be back soon. You really do love her, don't you?" Evan smiled as he thought about Callista and nodded.

"Very much, she is everything to me. I am sorry that I didn't tell you about her."

"It would have been nice to know that you found the woman you love."

"I wasn't sure how accepting you would have been of her because she is a vampire. I know you aren't a fan of all this."

"Evan, you are still my son and I love you very much. I know I don't deal well with these sorts of things and need time to adjust, but I always want to know what is going on in your life. Having Sam and Esme at our door telling us you were hurt was terrifying. You may look like a grown man and feel like you are because you are in the pack, but you will always be my little boy."

"I love you, mom." She gently hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"I love you too." Evan grinned from ear to ear when there was a knock on the door and Callista poked her head in.

"May I come in," she asked and Evan beamed with happiness.

"You never have to ask and I am happy you are back. Callista, I would like for you to officially meet my mother. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Callista," introduced Evan. Callista and Faye awkwardly shook hands as Evan gauged their responses.

"Wow, your hands are freezing," said Faye as she rubbed her hands together to warm them up. She blushed as realization dawned on her and Callista slowly nodded.

"Sorry about that. Us vampires tend to run cold, I thought you knew since…."

"I did, I just forgot, sorry," replied Faye as the awkward tension set in. They both looked at Evan in confusion when he burst with laughter. He winced and held his ribs as the pain set in.

"Broken ribs, probably shouldn't be laughing," he wheezed and Callista was immediately at his side.

"No, you shouldn't be. What is so funny anyways," she questioned as she checked him over and he shrugged.

"I had this whole plan in my head of how you two would meet. In my plan, I wasn't in a bed nursing my injuries and you two weren't meeting each other for the first time in a house full of vampires," explained Evan and Callista smiled at him.

"It certainly isn't the best of circumstances," she agreed and Faye nodded.

"I never wanted to imagine what it would be like when you brought a girl home, but this wasn't even on my radar," admitted Faye. Callista glanced over at her.

"Well, I hope the next time we see each other, it will be under better circumstances. Maybe we could arrange a time for all of us to…." Suddenly, her senses perked up and she let out a low hiss as someone came up the stairs.

"It will be fine," said Evan as Faye helped him sit up in bed. Colt began to fidget as he entered the room and Callista glared at him.

"Get out," she warned, but Evan shook his head.

"Callista, he is my friend."

"Friends don't betray you. They don't get angry and go tell your secrets to other people. Friends don't get you attacked," she argued and Colt looked down at the ground in shame.

"She's right. This is my fault. I am so sorry, Evan. I didn't think Josh would take it that far."

"Right, because wolves have no problem controlling their anger," argued Callista and Colt scoffed.

"This coming from the vampire that was ready to go on a rampage," challenged Colt. Callista stood up to stand toe to toe with him as they glared at each other. She was not intimidated by his tall stature.

"I was protecting my mate!"

"And I was trying to protect my friend!"

"You did one hell of a job with that since he is now trying to heal from an attack. Tell me, which side of you made that decision, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde," she shouted.

"Enough, please," shouted Evan, but he immediately winced and held his ribs. Callista sat back down beside him and placed her cool hands on his side.

"I'm sorry. The last thing I want is for you to be upset," said Callista and Colt nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry too," said Colt and Faye sighed as she stood up.

"It sounds like you three have much to work out. I will be downstairs if you need me, sweetheart," informed Faye. She kissed Evan's cheek and exited the room. Colt sat down on the other side of the bed as the awkward silence filled the room. Evan glanced back and forth between his friend and imprint.

"I know you two have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I want you to try to be friends," said Evan and Callista smirked.

"I don't trust him," she informed and Colt rolled his eyes.

"I made a mistake and I know that, but Evan is my best friend. You're the one that made him lie to me," accused Colt.

"She didn't make me do anything. I chose to keep it from you and the pack, not her. The truth is that sometimes you have a temper and I know you have gotten better at being around vampires, but I knew you wouldn't respond well to me telling you about Callista. That is in the past now though. Colt, Callista is my imprint and you will respect that. Callista, I understand that you are pissed at him, but he is my best friend. Sometimes friends screw up." Colt glanced over at Callista and sighed.

"Fine, okay, you are right. I caused all of this and I royally screwed up, but it isn't because I wanted Evan to get hurt. I was trying to protect him from you. Your past with Josh made me think you were out to manipulate Evan and I didn't want to see my best friend get crushed."

"I am not that person anymore. I love Evan," assured Callista as she held Evan's hand and he smiled.

"She is my imprint, Colt. You have to respect that as part of the pack, but I hope you can respect that as my friend too," said Evan.

"I can, so does that mean you forgive me?"

"Yea, we are good," agreed Evan and Colt sighed in relief. Josh awkwardly knocked on the door before entering and Callista growled.

"Now what do you want," asked Callista and Colt glared at Josh.

"Yea, what do you want," asked Colt and Evan chuckled.

"Apparently they are on the same side now. Come in, I am glad you are here," said Evan as he yawned.

"Evan, you should rest," said Callista, but Evan shook his head.

"I'm good. We all need to talk and I rather do it now so there aren't issues later. Look Josh, I am sorry for…." Josh shook his head.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I kind of proved you right by freaking out like that. I understand why you kept everything a secret for so long. I am really sorry about hurting you, Evan. It wasn't okay and it will never happen again."

"So does that mean you are okay with us," asked Evan.

"Yes because I was wrong and Callista, I want to apologize to you too. You and I used each other and neither one of us came out completely unscathed, but it all turned out for the best. I can tell that you are really in love. It is the only way to explain why you were willing to threaten to kill me while on an island surrounded by vampires that could easily take you down. That was pretty badass of you," admitted Josh and Callista smiled.

"Thank you," she said as Evan smiled dreamily at her.

"You are totally a badass for that. I love you," he whispered and she kissed him sweetly. Josh cleared his throat.

"Alright, I have a few more stops to make on the Joshua Black Apology Tour, so I will leave you two alone. Colt, are we okay," asked Josh and Colt shrugged. Evan kicked him with his uninjured leg and Colt rolled his eyes.

"Yea, we'll be fine," Colt reluctantly agreed. Josh sighed in relief and gave a nod before quickly exiting the room. He trotted downstairs and gulped when he noticed Esme heading toward the kitchen. He tried to stealthily tiptoe toward it and poked his head around the corner. She pulled out a baking sheet and placed it on the stove.

"I hate to sound like my daughter, but really Josh, you thought you could sneak around me," called Esme with a giggle and he smiled sheepishly as he entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Esme, sweet, compassionate, understanding Esme, how are you doing on this peaceful, nonviolent night," he asked and she giggled again as she turned to face him.

"I know you are sorry and of course all is forgiven."

"Really," he asked and she nodded.

"Yes, really," she assured.

"Forgiven like you aren't mad but will hold cookies hostage from me forgiven or like, really forgiven," he questioned and she held her arms out to him.

"I will make you cookies later," she agreed. He pumped his fist.

"Yay," he exclaimed and hugged her tightly. She laughed as he twirled her around.

"Thank you and I am sorry if I disappointed you. I never want you to feel disappointed in me," he admitted and she cupped his cheek.

"You are my grandson. I am not disappointed in you. You are one of my favorites after all."

"I better be," he chuckled and she winked at him. Josh happily jogged back to Zach and Allie's cottage with a bright smile and a sense of relief, feeling as though things were finally getting back on track.

Carlisle suggested that Evan stay on the island for a couple more days to finish healing. Faye, Embry, Sam, Emily, and the wolf pack visited him with the help of Connell and Esme was in bliss having so many people to cook for. Callista decided to go for a hunt while Sam and Drew kept Evan company. The rest of the pack was in the game room playing video games with Zach, Allie, Josh, and Natalie. Sam chuckled when he heard boisterous laughing from the game room.

"They missed hanging out here. I don't blame them since Esme spoils them with her cooking," said Sam and Drew smirked at him.

"I don't see you complaining, Alpha. How much pie did you have last night? You are an old man. Shouldn't you be watching your figure," teased Drew and Evan smiled at them.

"I am happy everything is back to normal. It is nice being here with everyone. Thanks for being so cool with Callista. She was really nervous about being around all of you," admitted Evan and Drew shrugged.

"She is your imprint, which means she will always be treated with respect around us or there will be consequences. I made sure to explain that to the others. Sam and I know what it is like when you imprint. It can be overwhelming and the last thing you need to worry about is the pack," explained Drew and Sam nodded in agreement.

"The truth is that we knew something was different. We both experienced imprinting and could sense the change in you, but we didn't want to push the issue until you were ready," revealed Sam.

"You knew," asked Evan in surprise and Drew chuckled.

"Evan, come on, you refused to phase and went from constantly wanting to hang out to missing bonfires. We knew something was up," said Drew and Evan smiled sheepishly.

"I should have just told everyone, but I was freaking out."

"When I imprinted on Emily, our situation was far more complicated. I am happy for you. Callista is good for you and she is welcomed on our land," declared Sam and Evan beamed with happiness.

"Thanks, Sam. That means a lot to me." They all jumped in shock when Connell, Tia, Callista, Alice, and Jasper teleported into the room.

"Was that necessary? The door is right there," exclaimed Sam and Alice giggled.

"No, but it was funny to see your reactions. Evan, Esme and Carlisle said you can stay as long as you want but I know you are ready to get back to Sequim," informed Alice.

"Sequim," asked Drew and Evan grinned.

"Callista is staying in a cabin there. I am going to spend some time with her. My mom wasn't too thrilled about that, but my dad talked her into it. I think I owe my imprint my undivided attention," he said as he winked at Callista and she giggled. Evan crawled out of bed and stretched. He wiggled his fingers and flexed the muscles of his injured arm.

"How do you feel," asked Callista and Evan wrapped his arms around her.

"Amazing, let's get out of here," he replied with a bright smile. Esme glided into the room and gave Evan a hug.

"See you soon," she said and he kissed her cheek.

"Thanks for everything. I wouldn't have gotten through any of this without you, Esme," said Evan. Carlisle walked in and hugged Evan as well.

"You still need to take it easy for the next few days, okay," advised Carlisle and Evan chuckled.

"Of course, Carlisle, I will be sure to not get into any fights anytime soon," agreed Evan.

"Evan, your mom and dad are already in La Push. Connell was amused by her response to teleportation," said Alice.

"I wish I could have seen that," chuckled Evan. Drew smiled hopefully at Connell.

"Can you take me back to the rez? Lexi and I have a date," asked Drew and Alice planted her hands on her hips.

"When are you going to tell her about the pack? You better do it soon. She should be at the wedding and you should give her plenty of time to adjust to all this information before that happens. Chop, chop, Drew," scolded Alice and he blushed.

"I am working on it," he defended.

"You have been working on it for months," she exclaimed.

"Alright, wee one, leave the poor pup alone. It must be difficult telling the woman you love that you turn into a canine when life gets tough," said Connell and Drew rolled his eyes.

"I don't think that is the best way to explain the wolf gene, but thanks Connell….I think," said Drew and Connell shrugged.

"Sounds about right to me. Alright, all aboard, first stop, Pup Island," announced Connell and Alice giggled.

"Jazzy and I will see you soon. Tia, we must go shopping," said Alice.

"Another Alice Cullen shopping extravaganza, it sounds lovely," said Tia and Alice hugged her.

"See, why can't everyone embrace shopping adventures like you," asked Alice.

"See you soon," said Tia. The pack filed into the room to say goodbye to Evan.

"So you're going to Sequim," asked Colt.

"Yea, but it is only for a couple of weeks," assured Evan.

"Callista, you should come to a bonfire soon," suggested Daniel and Callista was taken aback by the invitation.

"I would enjoy that. Thank you, Daniel," said Callista.

"Everyone ready now," asked Connell and they each nodded. They were gone a split second later and Carlisle wrapped his arms around his wife.

"My love, I believe a hunt is in order," he recommended and she winked at him.

"That sounds wonderful, we will see you kids later," said Esme as she followed her mate out of the room and the pack waved goodbye.

"Bye Esme, bye Dr. Fang," called the pack and they chuckled when Carlisle shook his head in amusement. Jasper groaned as he felt Alice's mood shift.

"Darlin' what has you so anxious all of a sudden? I was hoping we could go for a hunt," he suggested.

"In a bit, Jazzy, I promise, but there is much to do," she announced as she skipped out of the room. Sam smiled sympathetically at Jasper.

"You are a brave man to keep up with her," teased Sam as he saluted Jasper and the pack nodded in agreement.

"My darlin' is always worth it," replied Jasper and they chuckled as he went to find Alice. Sam smiled at Daniel.

"That was very nice of you to invite Callista to the bonfire," commended Sam and Owen scoffed.

"He wasn't just doing it out of the kindness of his heart," teased Owen and Daniel blushed. Sam's eyes widened.

"Do you have a crush on Callista? Daniel, you can't….."

"I wouldn't call it a crush. I just think she is beautiful, like, very beautiful. Seriously, how did Evan win the bet? Did anyone even bet on Evan," asked Daniel as Owen, Tommy, and Braden shook their heads. Colt raised his hand with a smug smile.

"I did," Colt practically sang and they rolled their eyes.

"That doesn't count. You originally said he would never and then you changed your mind because you saw how much he likes Esme," argued Tommy.

"Do I even want to know what you are talking about," asked Sam and Braden chuckled.

"It was just a friendly wager we made when we first started hanging out with Josh and Zach. We placed a bet to see which one of us would end up with a vampire. After Drew showed up at the Christmas Party, I was sure he would be the one to end up with a vampire because he danced with so many, but I never would have guessed Evan! What are the odds," exclaimed Braden and Colt held his hand out.

"Better than you thought, now pay up," said Colt and Owen rolled his eyes.

"You know dude, I think you should be disqualified since you freaked out when he did find his imprint. All in favor," asked Owen. Braden, Tommy, and Daniel raised their hands.

"What? No way! I won, now hand it over," declared Colt and they begrudgingly each gave him twenty dollars.

"I still can't believe it! I was sure that I would be the one to find a hot vampire to shack up with, but Evan? I mean Callista is hot. She isn't Rosalie hot, but she is totally hot," explained Daniel and Tommy shushed him.

"Don't let Zach hear you say that," whispered Tommy and Zach darted into the room.

"Heard it and not amused," announced Zach before darting back into the game room. Daniel shrugged.

"It is true. All I am saying is that I need to learn Evan's secret because I thought I had way more game than him," explained Daniel and Sam clapped him on the back.

"It is called imprinting. Good luck figuring out how to predict when it will happen. Many have tried to no avail. You boys have fun with that," said Sam with a laugh before leaving.

"I wonder if Callista has a sister," pondered Daniel and Tommy laughed.

"Dude, you are getting creepy," warned Tommy.

"What, it is a perfectly fair question," defended Daniel as he followed the others back to the game room.

Callista blinked several times as she appeared back in her cabin with Connell, Tia, and Evan. She held out her hand to Connell and he shook it with a smile.

"Thank you for bringing us back. I am sorry for almost biting you before."

"Well, we did kidnap you," replied Connell. Tia kissed Evan's cheek and smiled at him.

"Take it easy for a few days, alright," she asked and Evan nodded.

"I will. Thanks, Tia, and Connell, you are awesome as always," commended Evan as he bumped fists with Connell. Callista was surprised when Tia gave her a hug.

"Take care of him," whispered Tia.

"I will," she assured. Connell and Tia waved goodbye before disappearing and Callista sat down on the bed as Evan looked around the cabin.

"This place is really nice," he said as his heart started to pound.

"Evan, come sit down. You still need your rest," she informed and he sat down beside her.

"I feel great and I am just happy to finally be alone with you again. The pack is fun, but I miss spending time with you."

"It was very sweet of them to invite me to La Push. I wasn't expecting that."

"You are officially recognized as my imprint, which means no more meeting in Port Angeles or being worried about who sees us," he informed as he laced their fingers together and she smiled.

"Good because I don't care anymore. When I found out that you were hurt, it scared me so much. It made me realize how stupid it is to worry about what others think of us. I love you and that's all that matters."

"I love you too," he whispered before tenderly kissing her. She could feel his heart thundering in his chest and the warmth radiating from his body. She ran a hand through his hair as he pulled her into his lap.

"Well, I am finally inside of your cabin and we can do whatever we want. So, what do you want to do," he asked and she bit her lip nervously.

"I know what I desire, but I don't want to hurt you. What about your arm and ribs," she asked as she caressed his chest and he grinned at her.

"I trust that you will go easy on me," he teased and she nodded as they fell back onto the bed with a laugh.

Leah and Jacob walked into the kitchen of the main house and giggled when they saw Josh, Seth, Kaya, Renesmee, and Nahuel eating cookies at the table. Natalie was sitting by her mate and watching in amusement.

"Did you save any for us," teased Leah and Seth smirked.

"You snooze, you lose when it comes to cookies. These people just better be happy I am sharing," said Seth. Zach, Allie, Rosalie, and Emmett, entered the kitchen and Zach rolled his eyes.

"You know, big bro, you don't own grandma's cookie recipe," informed Zach.

"I don't have to own it as long as she makes them for me, which she always will because I am her favorite," assured Seth. Renesmee frowned at him.

"You say that all the time, but I don't know why you think you are her favorite. It is pretty obvious who her favorite is," said Renesmee.

"Obviously," agreed Zach, but then frowned as his cousin eyed him suspiciously.

"I was talking about me," declared Renesmee.

"That's cute, but come on. We all know who grandma's favorite is. She thinks I am adorable, I play her favorite songs on the piano for her, and she loves my curly hair and dimples," he listed as Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper walked in.

"I was playing lullabies for her long before you were born, nephew," reminded Edward and Rosalie smirked.

"I accepted a long time ago that we were no longer at the top of that list. It belongs to her grandchildren now. I am mature enough to admit that, unlike you and Alice," said Rosalie and Alice scoffed.

"That is only because you are a daddy's girl and are fine as long as you think you are Carlisle's favorite," accused Alice. Rosalie examined her nails.

"That's not being a daddy's girl. That's just called facts," quipped Rosalie.

"Have any of you ever just asked Esme," suggested Nahuel and Renesmee smiled smugly.

"No need to ask what you already know," she informed. Suddenly, Carlisle and Esme rushed back into the house frantically.

"Alice, what is it? We were on the yacht heading out for a hunt when you called," explained Carlisle.

"Is everything alright," asked Esme and Alice hugged her mother.

"Of course it is, we just had a quick question for you and then you can be on your merry way," explained Alice, but Esme eyed her cautiously. She looked around the room and noticed all eyes were on her.

"My love, why do I feel like we are being plotted against," asked Esme and Alice waved her off.

"We would never…."

"You have," reminded Esme.

"Again," corrected Alice and Carlisle crossed his arms.

"What is going on, Alice," he asked and Zach wrapped an arm around Esme.

"Grandma, we just need you to clear something up for the others because I already know the answer."

"What answer," asked Esme.

"That I am your favorite and the others are loved, but they aren't your lovable, adorable grandson with all the alphaness running through him," explained Zach and Seth smirked.

"You forgot to add humble," mocked Seth and Zach stuck his tongue out at him. Carlisle chuckled as Esme let out a whine.

"You called us back here to ask that irrelevant question," asked Esme.

"These are the kinds of important questions that we need to know in this eternal existence," exclaimed Alice and Esme giggled at her daughter. She kissed her cheek and smiled adoringly.

"Alice, you are my favorite…."

"I knew it," shouted Alice.

"Vibrant, future-seeing daughter. Zach, you are my favorite blond-haired, dimpled grin grandson with your father's contagious laugh. Seth, you are my favorite sweet, caring, cookie obsessed grandson. Josh, you are my favorite and most fashionable grandson. Renesmee, you are my favorite independent, wise beyond your years granddaughter. I love Edward's brilliant mind and Jasper's ability to be stoic and yet always empathetic. I love Rosalie's unwavering love for her family and Emmett's love of life. I love Bella's determination. I love Nahuel's patience and Kaya's devotion. I love Jacob and Leah's strength and ability to overcome everything we have faced in the past, so that they can be part of our family. Allie, Natalie, you two are my favorite powerful, independent women that make two of my grandsons extremely happy. So you see, I don't have a favorite because you each bring something special to our family and Carlisle and I are so blessed," explained Esme. Carlisle wrapped his arms around his mate.

"Very blessed," he agreed. Seth raised his hand.

"I am still your favorite wolf from the original wolf pack though, right? I mean I should win that in a landslide," said Seth. Leah and Jacob rolled their eyes at him.

"Really," asked Leah and Seth shrugged.

"I think that's a fair question," he said with a chuckle.

"Now if you will excuse us, we are going for a hunt and expect to not be bothered unless it is an emergency," said Carlisle as he gave Alice a look. She kissed his cheek.

"Of course," she promised. He winked at her before leaving once again with his mate.

"Well I think she made it clear who her favorite is," said Alice and Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. Zach eyed him suspiciously.

"Wait, Uncle Edward, you can read grandma's thoughts. Does she have a favorite? Be honest," questioned Zach and Edward smiled at him.

"Even if she did, I would never betray her trust like that or invade her privacy. She meant what she said," informed Edward.

"Alright well we are going to play some more video games. I think the pack is trying to beat our high scores and that will not do," announced Zach as Allie slipped her hand into his. Edward groaned as Alice stopped them.

"Not so fast, you two! Evan and Callista are happy. I have meddled and corrected their issues with the pack. Now it is time to get back to business. Let the wedding planning resume," she exclaimed and dread filled Allie as she shook her head.

"No, no, no, we are done planning. We have the dress, the invitations have been made, the menu has been decided, and the color scheme, after months of negotiations, has been chosen. What else could you possibly have to annoy me with," wailed Allie and Alice jutted her chin out.

"I don't like your tone, but I will forgive you because it is going to be beautiful! Rosalie, don't even try to tattle on me to mom or dad because I made an agreement with them!"

"Agreement, what kind of agreement," asked Rosalie worriedly. Alice placed her head on her sister's shoulder and sighed contently.

"Have I not been patient lately? Haven't I allowed you time to vacation with Emmett and go for hunts and not be bothered with the details of the wedding these past weeks? Haven't I," asked Alice and Rosalie gritted her teeth.

"Maybe," she conceded.

"Exactly, because I made a deal that if I could give you time now, you would have to help me with the wedding details later. It was all part of my plan," announced Alice and Rosalie eyed her suspiciously.

"So it was part of your plan to get Evan hurt?" Alice gasped dramatically.

"Don't even joke about that, Rosalie McCarty Cullen! I may have miscalculated a few things, but it wasn't my fault. Wolves are almost impossible to see around. Speaking of which, Josh, you need to tell the pack to work on that. Oh, by the way, Callista is now added to the guest list."

"What," shrieked Zach, Allie, Josh, and Natalie.

"Oh don't give me that look! It has to happen. Evan has to be in attendance and his mate deserves to be there. Besides, I think things have gone well if you omit the threatening to kill mates and attacks and unnecessary violence. Now, have fun tonight because tomorrow, we are starting fresh. There is still so much to do and I cannot wait! Come on, Jazzy, let's go hunt. I will need my energy," cheered Alice. Jasper chuckled as he followed his mate outside and Zach and Allie gulped.

"Mom, help," whined Zach and Rosalie winked at him.

"The pixie may have won this round, but I will talk to your grandparents when they come back. After all, this is your big day, not Alice's, so don't worry," assured Rosalie.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. Alice has a pretty detailed plan that will be hard to challenge," warned Edward and Rosalie smiled slyly at him.

"Have you forgotten who you are talking to? My tenacity has gotten me quite far in life and besides, I never said I would do it alone, dear brother. Now, if only someone with my wit that has helped me knock her down a peg or two before could help me. Hmm," said Rosalie as she tapped her chin and Edward grinned as he read her thoughts.

"Hmmm," he said.

"Let's table this talk until we are in La Push and surrounded by the pack," she suggested and he shook her hand.

"Deal," he agreed and Bella nudged Emmett.

"They are scary when they work together," she whispered and Emmett nodded in agreement. Allie wrapped her arms around Zach and stared lovingly into his eyes.

"Since your aunt is hell bent on dictating our entire wedding, how about we go spend some time alone while we still can," suggested Allie and Zach happily nodded. He scooped her up into his arms and darted from the house. The others made plans to relax and stay out of Alice's grasp, knowing that the wedding would be the only thing on Alice's mind until it was executed to perfection.

AN: The end….for now! Next up, the wedding! I hope you enjoyed the story and learning more about Evan and Callista. Let me know what you are looking for more of, what characters do you feel you are missing out on, and what do you want to see happen next? Thanks for keeping up with the Choice Series and until next time, peace, love, and always Twilight!


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